Abstract
The study focused on leaching complex copper–cobalt oxide ore from Zebesha Mine in Zambia. The chemical analysis indicated the presence of cobalt, copper, nickel, manganese and iron as base metals. Copper is predominantly found in malachite and a small portion in heterogenite mineral along with cobalt, iron, manganese and nickel. The leaching process involved using solutions containing iron: ferrous sulphate, FeSO4·7H2O; ferrous ammonium sulphate, (NH4)2Fe(SO4)2·6H2O; and ferric sulphate, Fe2(SO4)3. The effects of temperature and salt concentrations were studied alongside metal content determination through titration-atomic absorption spectroscopy techniques. It was observed that the preferential dissolution of copper occurred with Fe2 (SO4)3 while temperatures above 70°C leaching with FeSO4·7H2O resulted in the recovery of over 80% of manganese and cobalt. This study suggests that ferrous containing lixiviants can effectively promote the manganese and cobalt dissolution but are not efficient for extracting copper. Furthermore, using Fe2(SO4)3 may allow for selective leaching of copper.
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