Leaching Chalcopyrite with an Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquid and Bromide

Abstract

The unique properties of ionic liquids (ILs) drive the growing number of novel applications in different industries. The main features of ILs are high thermal stability, recyclability, low flash point, and low vapor pressure. This study investigated pure chalcopyrite dissolution in the presence of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate, [BMIm]HSO4, and a bromide-like complexing agent. The proposed system was compared with acid leaching in sulfate media with the addition of chloride and bromide ions. The results demonstrated that the use of ionic liquid and bromide ions improved the chalcopyrite leaching performance. The best operational conditions were at a temperature of 90 °C, with an ionic liquid concentration of 20% and 100 g/L of bromide.

Advances in Mineral Processing and Hydrometallurgy

“…Rodríguez et al [15] offered their research paper entitled "Leaching Chalcopyrite with an Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquid and Bromide". The unique properties of ionic liquids (ILs) drive the growing number of novel applications in different industries.…”

Electrolytic production of copper from chalcopyrite

“…There have been a number of recent studies applying ionic liquids to chalcopyrite, summarized by Rodriguez et al [32]. Results from the first study by Whitehead et al [33] showed copper leaching rates increased from 55% to 87% when increasing the concentration of ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium hydrogen sulfate) from 10 to 100% in aqueous solution, at 70°C.…”

Gangues and Clays Minerals as Rate-Limiting Factors in Copper Heap Leaching: A Review

“…Among the copper minerals on the planet, the vast majority correspond to sulfide ores [3]. Within these copper minerals, chalcopyrite stands out as the most abundant, representing 70% of all minerals that contain copper in the Earth's crust [4][5][6][7]. Copper is recovered from these minerals mainly through flotation, followed by pyrometallurgical processing, representing 80-85% of world's copper production [8,9].…”