MET05103

HYDROMETALLURGY
 What is Extractive Metallurgy ?
• Deals with extraction of metals from its
naturally existing ore/minerals and refining
them
• Minerals: are naturally occurring
homogeneous inorganic solid, with a definite
chemical composition, and an ordered atomic
arrangement.
 Types of Ores
• Oxide ores: Examples: Fe2O3, Fe3O4
Apart from Fe, other heavy metals which are produced
from oxide ores are: Manganese, Chromium, Titanium,
Tungston, uranium

• Sulphide ores: Copper ore (CuFeS2, Chalcopyrite),

sphalerite (Zn,Fe)S, Galena PbS, Pyrite FeS2.
Others: Nickel, Zinc,Mercury and Molybdenum

• Halide ores: Rock salts of Sodium, Magnesium chloride

in sea water
 Unit processes and Unit operations
• Any metal extraction process is the combination of
similar and unique kind of steps known as Unit processes/unit
operations.
• Unit operations: Physical operations like crushing,
grinding, sizing, mixing through agitation, filteration,
distillation, comminution
• Unit processes: Chemical processes like leaching,
smelting, roasting,Electrolysis, decarburization,
Dephosphorization, Degassing, Deoxidation etc.

Combination of all unit steps/processes are resulting in Flow-

Sheets
Branches of Extractive Metallurgy

• Pyrometallurgy
• Hydrometallurgy
• Electrometallurgy
 Pyrometallurgy
the oldest sector of extractive metallurgy which involves the
thermal treatment of dry minerals and metallurgical ores and
concentrates to bring about physical and chemical
transformations in the materials to enable recovery of valuable
components in the liquid state.

A pyrometallurgy process may defined as one involving the

application of heat energy

Typical ores treated by this method are those of iron, copper

and lead.
 Pyrometallurgy
• It involves the smelting, converting and
refining of metal concentrate, drying and
calcinations, roasting etc
• Calcination and roasting are used as pre-
treatment prior to other pyro- and hydro-
metallurgical operations.
• Majority of metals are extracted by
pyrometallurgical route because it is fast,
easily adaptable and cheaper
 Electrometallurgy
The process of obtaining metals through electrolysis.
The driving force is based on difference in standard
electrode potential.
The method is used for electro winning or electro refining
purpose
Electrolysis process to extract metal.
Electrowinning: Extraction of the metal from electrolyte;
Electrorefining: Refining of impure metals in the form of
an anode.
 Electrometallurgy
• Aluminum extraction is a good example of this
method which is based on the fuse salt
electrolysis. Copper and zinc are other metals
produced by this method;
 Hydrometallurgy

• the use of aqueous chemistry for the recovery

of metals from ores, concentrates, and recycled
or residual materials.
• The method is superior in treatment of
complex ores and low-grade ores.
• Cyanide leaching is a good example of this
method in extraction of gold.
• Other typical ores treated by this method are
uranium and aluminium
 Hydrometallurgy
• The word hydro-is derived from a Greek word
which means water.
• Separation steps involved in hydrometallurgy are
leaching, purification and or concentration, and
precipitation/metal production
• Leaching gives rise to a metal solution (leach
liquor) and solid residue (leach residue).
• leach liquor and residue are separated by
filtration
 Separation Steps
Leaching Solid waste

Recycle of reagents
Purification and Impurities and
Concentration Byproducts

Metal Production Product

• Leaching
• Purification and or Concentration
• Precipitation/Metal Production
 Hydrometallurgy
• Several techniques are available for
purification
• Precipitation, liquid-liquid and solid-liquid,
ion-exchange and adsorption
 Principles you must know
• Heat and mass balance : to know the material requirement
• Thermodynamics : Feasibility criteria and energetics of a process
• Kinetics and rate of process: influence on engineering How long it
take to complete the process (productivity and factors responsible to
it)
• Heat transfer: For improving the thermal efficiency of the
process
• Fluid dynamics: To know the mixing of the reactor
• High temperature properties of metals/slag: To know the physical
properties of various phases, their mobility and role in metal refining
processes.
• Electrochemistry: To estimate, overpotential, current efficiency
• Hydrometallurgy: Eh-pH diagram, rate estimation of leaching
 Chemical Processing
Hydro- Versus Pyrometallurgy:
Techniques have competed over the years
Pyrometallurgy:
Very ancient technology
was most successful with high-grade, simple ores, large scale
High temperature, fast reaction
Problems can include pollution of the environment, high
energy consumption, and excessive dust formation

Hydrometallurgy:
works better with low grade, complex ores, smaller scale
Lower temperature, slower reaction
First hydrometallurgical process: alumina from bauxite, at
start of 20th century