The use of seawater in copper hydrometallurgical processes in Chile: A review.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/Abstract
The use of seawater has become a viable alternative for the different uses in mining processes that extract copper. Thus, this paper reviews the main physical and chemical characteristics of seawater and how it influences the copper production by hydrometallurgical processes. Reliable data on the use of continental water was reported, and the current use and consumption of seawater in the Chilean mining industry was also analyzed, indicating the main modalities of use and the main problems when using this resource. Additionally, the influence of the elements contained in this water resource, which have a greater influence on the processes involved in the extractive metallurgy of copper was considered. It can be concluded that the use of seawater in Chilean copper mining is currently a reality, with a consumption of approximately 4.1 m3/s, which corresponds to 25% of total water used in mining processes by companies. Furthermore, the use of seawater for the leaching of copper sulphide minerals, such as chalcopyrite, is beneficial, since it provides 20 g/L of chloride; improving copper dissolution kinetics.Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Alvaro Astudillo, Matías García, Víctor Quezada, Lilian Velásquez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
THE INSTITUTE, AS A BODY, IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STATEMENTS AND OPINIONS ADVANCED IN ANY OF ITS PUBLICATIONS.
Copyright© 1978 by The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. All rights reserved. Multiple copying of the contents of this publication or parts thereof without permission is in breach of copyright, but permission is hereby given for the copying of titles and abstracts of papers and names of authors. Permission to copy illustrations and short extracts from the text of individual contributions is usually given upon written application to the Institute, provided that the source (and where appropriate, the copyright) is acknowledged. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of review or criticism under The Copyright Act no. 98, 1978, Section 12, of the Republic of South Africa, a single copy of an article may be supplied by a library for the purposes of research or private study. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publishers. Multiple copying of the contents of the publication without permission is always illegal.
U.S. Copyright Law applicable to users In the U.S.A.
The appearance of the statement of copyright at the bottom of the first page of an article appearing in this journal indicates that the copyright holder consents to the making of copies of the article for personal or internal use. This consent is given on condition that the copier pays the stated fee for each copy of a paper beyond that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law. The fee is to be paid through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., Operations Center, P.O. Box 765, Schenectady, New York 12301, U.S.A. This consent does not extend to other kinds of copying, such as copying for general distribution, for advertising or promotional purposes, for creating new collective works, or for resale.
