For medium- to high-grade copper oxide resources and complex copper oxide powder resources, Metalcess provides an integrated EPC solution for wet copper processing based on “tank leaching (Tank Leaching) + solvent extraction (SX) + electrowinning (EW)“”.

This process is particularly suitable for:

•    Copper oxide ores with a copper grade of 0.5%–3%

•    High-grade primary copper oxide ores (such as malachite and azurite)

•    Low-grade copper oxide concentrate powder generated from copper sulfide ore flotation tailings

•    Fine-grained, muddied, or difficult-to-heap-leach copper oxide feedstock

Tank Leaching Process for High Efficiency and Controllable Reactions

Compared to heap leaching, tank leaching systems offer higher reaction rates and more stable process control, making them particularly suitable for medium- to high-grade copper oxide deposits.

Metalcess provides comprehensive engineering design and delivery of tank leaching systems, including:

✔ Leaching Reaction System Design

•    Series design of multi-stage agitated leaching tanks

•    Fluid dynamics optimization to enhance slurry-acid contact efficiency

•    Design adaptable to high-density slurries

•    Models for optimizing the balance between reaction time and leaching recovery

✔ Key Equipment Engineering Capabilities

•    Corrosion-resistant leaching tank structural design

•    Agitator blade selection, power calculation, and CFD flow field simulation

•    Optimized design for gas-liquid-solid three-phase mixing

•    Online temperature and acidity control systems

By enhancing mass transfer and reaction kinetics, the tank leaching system can significantly increase copper leaching rates, enabling short-process, high-recovery operations.

Applicable Feed Materials from Primary Ore to Flotation-Derived Copper Oxide Powder

The tank leaching system offers greater adaptability to feed materials and can handle a wide range of complex ore types:

✔ High-grade copper oxide ores

•    Malachite

•    Azurite

•    Chalcopyrite and other easily leachable oxide minerals

✔ Flotation-derived copper oxide materials

•    Flotation tailings from copper sulfide ores

•     Pre-enriched copper oxide concentrate powder

•    Mixed copper oxide concentrate

✔ Difficult-to-process materials

•    Fine-grained ore powder

•    Certain types of muddied ore

•    Complex systems with highly alkaline gangue

Leachate Purification and Recirculation System: Stabilizing Copper Ion Enrichment

The core of the tank leaching process lies in the stable control of leachate quality. Metalcess has established a comprehensive liquid-phase recirculation system:

•     Design of the Leachate Solid-Liquid Separation and Clarification System

•    Control of Copper Ion Enrichment and Stabilization

•    Settling and Purification System for Impurities Such as Iron and Aluminum

•    Recirculation and Reuse of Lean Leachate and Optimization of Acid Consumption

•    Liquid Buffering and Balancing System Between the Tank Leaching and SX Stages

Through closed-loop liquid-phase control, the system ensures that the solution entering the extraction stage is stable, controllable, and low in impurities.

Solvent Extraction (SX) System: Highly Selective Copper Enrichment

Metalcess possesses proven engineering design capabilities for copper SX systems, tailored to the characteristics of high-concentration rich solutions from tank leaching:

✔ Design capabilities for mixing and clarification systems

•    Primary pump-mix tank (Pump-mix Mixer)

•    Secondary mechanically agitated mixing tank (Agitated Mixer)

•    Design of Multi-Stage Countercurrent Extraction and Stripping Processes

•    Dynamic O/A Ratio Control System

✔ Core Engineering Capabilities

•    Agitation Power Calculation and Impeller Flow Field Simulation

•    Phase Separation Kinetics Design and Clarifier Optimization

•    Organic Phase Carryover Control and Recovery System Design

•    Process Stability and Fluctuation Resistance Design

Achieving high copper selectivity in extraction, low organic loss, and stable, long-term operation.

Electrowinning (EW) System: Stable Production of High-Purity Cathode Copper

In SX-EW closed-loop systems, Metalcess provides comprehensive EPC capabilities for electrowinning tankhouse:

•    Design and layout optimization of electrolytic cell systems

•    Design optimization for current efficiency and energy consumption

•    Control of cathode copper crystal structure

•    Electrolyte circulation and temperature control systems

•    Design of automated sheet peeling and cathode processing systems

Continuous stable production:

•    LME Grade A electrolytic copper

•    High-density, low-impurity cathode copper products

Metalcess EPC Engineering Advantages

Metalcess Team has complete and closed-loop engineering capability for tank leaching-SX-EW:

✔ Process Design

•    Integrated design of the entire process flow: Tank leaching + SX + EW

•    Graded process solutions tailored to different copper grade ranges

✔ Core Equipment Design

•    Engineering design of leaching tank systems

•    In-house design of mixer-settler tanks

•    Comprehensive engineering design of electrowinning systems

✔ EPC Delivery

•    Turnkey delivery of hydrometallurgical copper plants

•    Modular rapid deployment solutions (suitable for overseas mines)

•    Process commissioning and full-capacity production support services

Applicable Scenarios

This solution is particularly suitable for:

•    Copper ore development projects with copper grades of 0.5%–3%

•    Rapid start-up projects for high-grade primary copper oxide ores

•    Copper oxide recovery projects from flotation tailings

•    Small-to-medium-sized SX-EW hydrometallurgical copper plants

•    Rapid development projects for dispersed ore bodies overseas