Economic and environmental applications for recent innovations of nonferrous metallurgy in some industrial nations

Abstract

As ore grades drop at today’s large mines, and environmental regulations for waste discharges increase, economics drives new recovery innovations. This paper describes some technological advances in the recovery processes for copper, gold, silver, lead and zinc. It does not discuss pyrometallurgy. Korea, like many nations with industrial economies, consumes large amounts of these metals, and is dependent on overseas suppliers for nearly its entire supply. This paper also discusses how technology for recovery of metal now in Korea, for example from existing wastes, is important. Improved reagents for both leaching and froth flotation of copper minerals, plus bio-oxidation and pressure autoclaving for gold have improved metal recovery. Copper recovery by SX-EW is expanding rapidly, and the method is also commercial for zinc. Biooxidation of encapsulating waste materials and, in some instances, of the desired metal has reached commercial scale. Pressure leaching on a large scale solves specific problems for several metals. Improvements in gold and silver cyanidation include variants of activated carbon adsorption from solution. Zinc and lead still largely depend on flotation for the treatment of ores. However, innovation in hydrometallurgical extraction has been spurred by environmental concerns. Computer modeling and process control worldwide have likely led to the largest improvements in recovery. The limited availability of land, clean water and sites for waste disposal in many countries affects the economics of re-treatment of existing wastes. Some of the new technologies could be combined, for example in modular plants that can be moved between reclamation sites to economic advantage on the Korean Peninsula.