Improving the efficiency of the Albion leach processTM: the case for (1) elemental sulphur removal from residues, and (2) improved pyrite oxidation kinetics

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One of the challenges within the copper mining industry is the lack of an economically and environmentally viable hydrometallurgy process for the treatment of copper sulphide concentrates. The existing technology, pressure oxidation process, suffers from high operating and capital costs. The only commercial alternative to pressure oxidation options is the Albion process, which was commercialized for copper recovery in Africa in December 2017. However, the weakness of Albion with respect to copper treatment is the lack of options for gold recovery. The successful testing, optimization and integration of the processed process to the acidic Albion leach process will make the process more attractive for the treatment of gold-containing copper concentrates. This research proposal aims to develop two very important add-on technologies to improve the application of the Albion leach process for copper concentrates, as well as gold concentrates. Herein, it is proposed to apply a newly developed carbon based bead, AF 5, as a sulphur adsorbent, to remove the elemental sulphur form the acidic Albion leach processes to reduce its environmental impact and improve the gold recovery process efficiency.