Predicting the rates of recovery from selective chemical reaction of ores — A specific example: Leaching of chalcopyrite in acid with oxygen

Correlations previously reported (Roach and Prosser, 1975) have been used to calculate the rate of recovery of copper from lumps of porphyry ore by selective leaching of chalcopyrite. The mineralogical data used were independently determined; kinetic data obtained from the ore were not required in the calculations. The predicted rate curves are within a factor of 2x those determined experimentally by Braun et al. (1974), which is satisfactory for preliminary process design. Substantially less time was required to obtain the information compared with conventional testwork.