High-Temperature Sulfuric Acid Converter Matte Pressure Leaching

Over the years of mining nickel and copper deposits, they have become more and more multicomponent. In view of this, it is necessary it is necessary to convert traditional pyrometallurgical schemes for processing sulfide raw material into more complex schemes, i.e., hydrometallurgical or combined. This articles provides results of studying copper-nickel converter matte processing on the basis of sulfuric acid pressure leaching. Stratgraphics software is used for planning experiments and processing results. The effect of temperature and oxygen pressure on leaching indices is studied. It is established that with low oxygen pressure leaching of nickel into solution does not exceed 70% regardless of process temperature. With increased oxygen pressure (0.43–0.85 MPa) and temperature (100–125°C), nickel extraction reaches 68–90%. For 180 min leaching with pO2 = 0.43–0.85 MPa and 120–140°C, nickel extraction reaches 97–99%. Studies of iron show that its minimum extraction into solution reaches 30% with the following parameters: t = 140–144°C, pO2 = 0.42–0.73 MPa. Subsequent reduction in oxygen pressure in the system leads to an increase in iron extraction into solution.