Reverse engineering nature: metal extraction through mineral replacement

该项目旨在寻找从目前开采不经济的低品位铜矿中回收铜的新方法。在自然界中，在矿床的顶部和地下水位的正下方，有一个被称为表生带的区域。这里发生了温和的氧化反应，导致黄铜矿等原生矿石矿物被更富铜、更难处理的矿物所取代。这些过程是由溶解再沉淀反应(CDR反应)驱动的，在许多CDR反应中，控制产品性质和整个反应过程的是反应机理，而不是压力和温度等强烈的性质。该项目将探索这些反应的机理和控制，看看它们是否可以在矿业中用于从低品位矿石中经济地提取铜。

This project aims to find new methods of copper recovery from low grade copper ores, which are currently uneconomic to mine. In nature, at the top of ore deposits and just below the water-table, is a region known as the supergene zone. Here mild oxidizing reactions take place causing primary ore minerals such as chalcopyrite to be replaced by more copper-rich, less refractory minerals. These processes are driven by dissolution re-precipitation reactions (CDR reactions) and in many CDR reactions, the reaction mechanism, rather than intensive properties such as pressure and temperature, control the nature of the products and the overall reaction process. This project will explore the mechanism and controls on these reactions to see if they can be utilized in the mining industry to economically extract copper from low grade ores.