Effect of phase composition of copper minerals on leaching patterns in oxidized copper ore

The subject of research is oxidized copper ore with the copper content of 0.63%. The test sample contains 53.97% oxidized copper (phases of green copper and blue coper ore). The scope of the research encompassed the influence of temperature, S:L ratio, leaching duration and dosage regimen of sulfuric acid on the leaching process. It is found that copper is recovered to solution from the phases of green copper and blue copper ore. Copper sulfides (yellow copper, purple copper ore, copper indigo) are refractory and ill-leachable within a temperature range of 20–90 °C. It is inexpedient to use oxidizers, or to increase the temperature and concentration of acid. The found optimized size of grinding for leaching is 50% of –0.071 mm. It is recommended to carry out agitation leaching for 4 h at the continuously maintained pH value of 1.50–1.55 in the medium. Specific consumption of acid is minimal in this case–50 kg/t. The achieved recovery is 56.00% with the production of cake with the copper content of 0.28% at the cake yield of 99.06%. It is possible to subject mostly green copper and blue copper ore to agitation leaching, which provides almost complete recovery of the minerals. With respect to a dissolution velocity at the initial moment of time, the minerals are arranged in descending order as follows: green ore > copper indigo > copper glance > copper pyrite > purple copper ore. 

Klimov K. K., Klyushnikov A. M., Musaev V. V., Shakirov D. A. Effect of phase composition of copper minerals on leaching patterns in oxidized copper ore. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2026;(7):130-142. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2026_7_0_130.

K.K. Klimov¹, Senior Researcher, e-mail: klimov_kk@umbr.ru, ORCID ID: 0009-0001-6504-0041,
A.M. Klyushnikov¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Leading Researcher, e-mail: klyushnikov_am@umbr.ru, ORCID ID: 0009-0001-5815-6513,
V.V. Musaev¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Head of Laboratory, e-mail: musaev_vv@umbr.ru, ORCID ID: 0009-0009-4650-5964,
D.A. Shakirov¹, Researcher, e-mail: shakirov_da@umbr.ru, ORCID ID: 0009-0001-7589-9781,
¹ JSC «Uralmekhanobr», 620063, Ekaterinburg, Russia.

A.M. Klyushnikov, e-mail: klyushnikov_am@umbr.ru.

1. Markov S. N., Samsonov B. G., Jastrebkov A. U. Experience of geotechnological testing of copper ores using the example of copper sandstones of the Cis-Ural area. Podzemnoe i kuchnoe vyshchelachivanie urana, zolota i drugikh metallov. T. 2: Zoloto [In-situ and heap leaching of uranium, gold and other metals, vol. 2, Gold], Moscow, 2005, pp. 273—284.

2. Fazlullin M. I. Kuchnoe vyshchelachivanie blagorodnykh metallov [Heap leaching of precious metals], Moscow, 2001, 647 p.

3. Vol'khin A. I., Eliseev E. I., Zhukov V. P., Smirnov B. N. Anodnaya i katodnaya med' [Anode and cathode copper], Chelyabinsk, 2001, 431 p.

4. Gayratov B., Godirilwe L., Jeon S., Shibayama A. Development of copper and gold recovery process from oxide ore by two-stage leaching system. 12th International Copper Conference. Conference paper. 2025, pp. 773—783. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-00102-3_73.

5. Apua M. C., Madiba M. S. Leaching kinetics and predictive models for elements extraction from copper oxide ore in sulphuric acid. Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. 2021, vol. 121, no. 6, pp. 313—320. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtice.2021.04.005. 

6. Dresinger D. Case study flowsheets: copper—gold concentrate treatment. Developments in Mineral Processing. 2005, vol. 15, pp. 825—848.

7. Schlesinger M. E., Sole K. C., Davenport W. G., Flores G. R. A. Extractive metallurgy of copper. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherland, 2021, 573 p.

8. Mohanraj G. T., Rahman M. R., Arya S. B., Barman R., Krishnendu P., Singh Meena S. Characterization study and recovery of copper from low grade copper ore through hydrometallurgical route. Advanced Powder Technology. 2022, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 1—11. DOI: 10.1016/j.apt.2021.12.001.

9. Pozin M. E. Tekhnologiya mineral'nykh soley (udobreniy, pestitsidov, promyshlennykh soley, okislov i kislot), Ch. 2 [Technology of mineral salts (fertilizers, pesticides, industrial salts, oxides and acids), part 2], Leningrad, 1974, 792 p. 

10. Filippov N. A. Fazoviy analiz rud i produktov ikh pererabotki [Phase analysis of ores and products of their processing], Moscow, 1975, 280 p.

11. Senchenko A. E., Kulikov Yu. V., Aksenov A. V. Technological features of the ores of the Udokan copper deposit, determining the rational processing scheme, and promising directions for improving the technology. Tsvetnye Metally. 2017, no. 10, pp. 35—48. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.17580/tsm.2017.10.04.

12. Lapshin D. A., Prostakishin M. F., Zolotarev V. N., Volozhaninov A. B. Development of technology for processing ores from the Udokan deposit. Part 3. Pilot testing of the process flow chart. Tsvetnye Metally. 2016, no. 5, pp. 17—21. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.17580/tsm.2016.05.02.

13. Senchenko A. E., Kulikov Yu. V., Kurchevskaya E. M. Study of the material composition of ores of the Udokan copper deposit using modern methods of technological mineralogy. Tsvetnye Metally. 2017, no. 10, pp. 25—34. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.17580/tsm.2017.10.03.

14. Filippov A. P., Nesterov Yu. V. Redoks-protsessy i intensifikatsiya vyshchelachivaniya metallov [Redox processes and intensification of metal leaching], Moscow, 2009, 543 p. 

15. Inoue D., Moritomo Y. Concentration dependence of resistance components in solutions containing dissolved Fe2+/Fe3+. RSC Advances. 2024, vol. 14, no. 9, pp. 6292—6297. DOI: 10.1039/d3ra07829a.

16. Guo W., Qiaoyi T., Liqiang G., Xianbing J., Yan J., Heyun S., Xiaopeng N., Haiping Z., Renman R. Pre-oxidation of pyrite in refractory gold ore using MnO2 as oxidant. Nonferrous Metals Eng. 2024, vol. 14, no. 05, pp. 73—80. DOI: 10.103969/j.issn.2095-1744.2024.05.010.

17. Marilović D., Bogdanović G., Stevanović Z., Petrović S., Sokić M. Investigation of the copper and iron behavior during the leaching of flotation tailings in an ionic liquid solution [bmim] [HSO4]. Mining Metallurgy & Exploration. 2025, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 657—672. DOI: 10.1007/s42461-025-01412-z.

18. Lur'e Yu. Yu. Analiticheskaya khimiya promyshlennykh stochnykh vod [Analytical chemistry of industrial wastewater], Moscow, 1984, 448 p.

19. Kozlov P. A. Vel'ts-protsess [Waelz process], Moscow, 2002, 176 p.

20. Boduen A. Ya. Hydrometallurgical technologies for processing low-grade and off-grade copper concentrates. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2023, no. 10, pp. 41—50. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.17580/gzh.2023.10.05.