When selecting the low quality copper ore, the copper dressing equipment adopts dump leaching – extraction technology. Because of its low quality, it cannot be accepted from economic aspect by using traditional method; moreover, under the condition of few quantity of resources and difficult to be selected, adopting the traditional technology can not gain the economic benefits. For such ore using dump leaching – extraction technology.
There are many advantages by using the above method:
1. Low energy consumption. Low grade copper ore is selected under normal temperature from dump leaching to electrodeposition. The purification and beneficiation are both adopt extraction process.
2. Simple technology. Compared with other technologies, dump leaching without complex leach equipments, no special treatment needed in the process of operation, the technology and operation are all simple.
3. Investment saving. Dump leaching – extraction technology directly treats ore, the oxidized ore don't need special treatment, and the sulphide ore is just breaking. In the whole process, it needs less equipment, so the investment is low, which is the 30%-50% of the copper plant with the same scale.
4. Small environmental pollution. The closed loop technology doesn't discharge waste liquid. No heat is needed in the process, so there is no coal consumption, no gas emission, and no air pollution. Compared with other technology, it has small environmental pollution.