An experimental investigation of the fluid accessibility of preconditioned sulphide copper ores

Abstract

Copper is crucial for a transition to a low-carbon economy and for energy-efficient technologies. In nature, can be mostly found in minerals as combination with iron and sulphide and its conversion into pure copper metal is frequently produced through comminution and concentration techniques. The use of hydrometallurgical methods has been successfully applied in the treatment of oxides and secondary sulphides, but its industrial applicability to primary ores has been very limited. The “accessibility” of the minerals is a key factor for their recovery through leaching, with surface grains being the most easily leached. This paper presents results from controlled blasting tests to investigate the effect of stress-induced damage on fluid penetration into copper ore samples. The results show that preconditioning by energetic loading can extend the Fluid Penetration depth by an average of 1.09 mm and up to 7 mm, compared to the 0.56 mm average of samples without conditioning. The experiments demonstrate that stress-induced fractures create extended fluid pathways, increasing the number of grains that can be potentially dissolved, and the presence of statistical outliers in the analysis shows that these induced microfractures can have a significant impact on fluid accessibility.