Mining Methods-Part IV-Solution Mining: February 2010
Mining Methods-Part IV-Solution Mining: February 2010
Mining Methods-Part IV-Solution Mining: February 2010
net/publication/301824681
CITATIONS READS
0 3,802
1 author:
Hassan Z. Harraz
Tanta University
101 PUBLICATIONS 404 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:
All content following this page was uploaded by Hassan Z. Harraz on 04 May 2016.
Hassan Z. Harraz
hharraz2006@yahoo.com
2015- 2016
The dissolving solution is pumped into the orebody from a series of injection wells, and is then
pumped out, together with salts dissolved from the orebody from a series of extraction
(production) wells.
Metals and minerals commonly mined by solution mining methods.
Dissolving agent specified in each case. (From Hartman and Mutmansky,
2002, and references therein).
Approximate
Metal or Mineral Dissolution Agent/ Method
Primary production
Gold 35% Sodium cyanide (NaCN)
Silver 25% Sodium cyanide (NaCN) Aside: The same
Copper 30% Sulphuric acid (H2SO4); Ammonium carbonate (alkali) reagents are often
{(NH4)2CO3} used for processing
Uranium 75% Sulphuric acid (H2SO4); Ammonium carbonate (alkali)
{(NH4)2CO3} mined ores in
Common Salt 50% Water hydrometallurgical
Potash 20% Water plants
Trona 20% Water
Boron 20% Hydrochloric acid (HCl)
Magnesium 85% Seawater, lake brine processing
Sulfur 35% Hot water (melting)
Lithium 100% Lake brine processing
Halites
Halite NaCl Halite; rock-salt
Sylvite KCl
(or
Carnallite KMgCl3 * 6H2O
Chlorides) Kainite KMg(SO4)Cl * 3H2O Potash Salts Hanksite, Na22K(SO4)9(CO3)2Cl, one of the
Polyhalite K2Ca2Mg(SO4)6 * H2O
few minerals that is both a carbonate and a
Langbeinite K2Mg2(SO4)3
Sulfates Anhydrate CaSO4 Anhydrate
sulfate
Gypsum CaSO4 * 2H2O Gypsum
Economic importance of evaporites
Kieserite MgSO4 * H2O -- Halite- rock salt for roads, refined into table salt
Thick halite deposits are expected to become an
Dolomite CaMg(CO3)2 Dolomite, important location for the disposal of nuclear
Dolostone waste because of their geologic stability,
Carbonates
Calcite CaCO3 Limestone predictable engineering and physical behaviour,
Magnesite MgCO3 -- and imperviousness to groundwater.
Evaporite minerals start to precipitate when their concentration in water Gypsum- Alabaster: ornamental stone; Plaster of
reaches such a level that they can no longer exist as solutes. Paris: heated form of gypsum used for casts,
The minerals precipitate out of solution in the reverse order of their plasterboard, … etc.; makes plaster wallboard.
solubilities, such that the order of precipitation from sea water is
Potash- for fertilizer (potassium chloride,
Calcite (CaCO3) and dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2)
Gypsum (CaSO4-2H2O) and anhydrite (CaSO4).
potassium sulfates)
Halite (i.e. common salt, NaCl) Evaporite minerals, especially nitrate minerals,
Potassium and magnesium salts are used in the production on fertilizer and
The abundance of rocks formed by seawater precipitation is in the same explosives.
order as the precipitation given above. Thus, limestone (calcite) and
dolomite are more common than gypsum, which is more common than
Salt formations are famous for their ability to form
halite, which is more common than potassium and magnesium salts. diapirs, which produce ideal locations for trapping
Evaporites can also be easily recrystallized in laboratories in order to petroleum deposits.
investigate the conditions and characteristics of their formation.
Technology of Solution Mining
Brine Recovery
Blanket Injection
Roof Rock Cemented Casing Water Injection Brine Recovery
Roof Rock Blanket Injection
Outher Casing
Cavern Sump
Cavern Sump
1) A bore hole was drilled from the surface 2) The dissolution of the salt begins with the
of the earth to the bottom of the salt layer: solution of a cavern sump. The sump shall be 3)The next step is the undercut phase.
A casing was worked in the bore well accommodate the insolubles of the deposit: The injected water is going trough the
near the casings in the well.
and was cemented from the surface to During the solution of the sump
outer casing and the brine leave the
the top side of the deposit. The only water is used . cavern trough the inner casing. This
cement must shut tight against the The water current is directly, that current direction is named indirectly.
pressure of the blanket. means that the current of brine in Important for the forming of the cavern
The surface of the bore hole in the the cavern has the same direction
as in the production casing. is the precise controlling of the blanket
area of the deposit is free. The salt The solution of the sump can be level.
can be dissolved. ended if the diameter of the cavern
is 5 – 10 m.
Roof Rock
Roof Rock
Inner Casing
Salt layer
Blanket Level deposits Blanket Level
Cavern Sump
ii Roof Rock
Inner Casing
Blanket Level
Salt layer
v deposits
iii
iv
vii
vi
(a) Undergrounderground deposits through drilling and blasting whereby solid rock salt is removed. Mining is
carried out at depths between 100 m to more than 1500 m below the surface.
(b) Solar evaporation method: This method involves extraction of salt from oceans and saline water bodies by
evaporation of water in solar ponds leaving salt crystals which are then harvested using mechanical means.
Solar and wind energy is used in the evaporation process. The method is used in regions where the
evaporation rate exceeds the precipitation rate.
(c) Solution mining: Evaporated or refined salt is produced through solution mining of underground deposits.
The saline brine is pumped to the surface where water is evaporated using mechanical means such as steam-
powered und mining: Also known as rock salt mining, this process involves conventional mining of the
multiple effect or electric powered vapour compression evaporators. In the process, a thick slurry of brine
and salt crystals is formed.
More than one third of the salt production worldwide is produced by solar evaporation of sea water or inland
brines (Sedivy, 2009). In the salt crystallization plants, saturated brine or rock salt and solar salt can be used as a
raw material for the process. A summary of the possible process routes for the production of crystallized salt
based on rock salt deposits is shown in Fig.2. Processes that are used in the production of vacuum salt from sea
water or lake brine as a raw material are shown in Fig.3.
Flowsheet of NaCl
Flowsheet of NaCl production production in a technical
in a solar pond process process
Brine
Brine
Solar pond
Chemical purification,
Harvested
precipitation of Mg2+,
crystalline crop
Ca2+,SO4--
Crushing, screening
Water Steam or electrical
Soiled brine Evaporation, Water
Washing power
crystallization
Oil or gas
Drying Water
Oil or gas Water
Drying
Storage
Storage
NaCl
NaCl
400
Evaporation
NaCl - crystallisation
350
300 Brine
KCl - crystallisation
Mixing with ML
by cooling
250
NaCl g/kg H2O
200
Solution mining
150
100
50
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600
KCl g/kg H2O
Steam or
Water
electrical power Evaporation, NaCl
NaCl crystallisation
Water Soiled brine
Washing
Vaccum cooling,
Oil or gas Water
KCl crystallisation Drying
Oil or gas
Drying
Storage
Storage
NaCl
KCl
500
400
MgCl2 g/kg H2O
300
200
100
80°C
20°C
0
0 50 100 150 200 250
KCl g/kg H2O
brine
condensate
evaporator, vacuum cooling,
carnallite crystallisation
Carnallite slurry
mother liquor 1:
Deposit thickener
solvent for solution mining
or prodoction of bischofite
or discharge liquor
carnallite, halite
sylvite, halite
water condensate
vacuum cooling, KCl cristallisation
two wells
slurry
hot leaching
KCl
Stacker
Crushing Agglomeration
P = F x G/100 * X/100
M = F * T / 365
A = M / SG / H
Recovery
Plant
1 m columns 6 m columns
Torbernite
an important secondary uranium mineral
Carnotite
K2(UO2)2(VO4)2·3H2O,
An important “secondary”
uranium-vanadium bearing
mineral, from Happy Jack
Mine, White Canyon District,
Utah, USA. Credit: Andrew
Uraninite (Pitchblende) UO2 Silver.
2) Uranyl ion: U+6 is quite soluble and forms many stable aqueous complexes
and then minerals when additional cations become available.
Carnotite: K2(UO2)2(VO4)2• 1–3 H2O
Tyuymunite: Ca(UO2)2 (VO4)2 • 5-8H2O
Autunite: Ca(UO2)2 (PO4)2 • 10H2O
Tobernite: Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2 • 12H2O
Uranophane: Ca(UO2)2SiO3(OH)2 • 5H2O
3) Complexes with: (CO3 )2-, OH-, H-, (PO4 )2-, F-, Cl
Reduced Oxidized
Uranous Ion Uranyl Ion
U+4 (reduced-insoluble) U+6 (oxidized-soluble)
Now add: Cl, S, P, F, …
(CO3 )2-, OH-, H-, (PO4 )2-, F-, Cl
U extraction 90
Arsenates Zeunarite HL Cu(UO2)2(AsO4)2.10-12H2O 25
% Uranium extraction
20
60
HL- hexavalent readily acid leachable without oxidation Acid consumption
15 50
TL - tetravalent readily acid leachable with oxidation
40
TR - tetravalent refractory 10
30
20
5
0 0
Leaching of Uranium Ore 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Duration (d)
PLS, Crushing,
Heaps
Raffinate Agglomeration
SX-EW Auxiliary, Ponds
(off photo) Ponds
Depth, m
2
3
4
5
6
7
Eh, mV
2
3
4
5
6
7
Temp, oC
0 10 20 30 40 50
0
1
Depth, m
2
3
4
5
6
Laterite Heap Leaching
Acid consumptions are high (~500-700kg/t), so on-site acid plant required
Saprolitic and nontronitic mineralogies give good nickel leach kinetics and extractions, but
limonites give poor extractions
Nontronite clays may inhibit percolation
Leach rate limited by supply of acid, hence kinetics may be improved by increasing acid
strength or irrigation rate
Irrigation rate limited by permeability
Acid strength limited by need to minimise residual acid reporting to recovery plant
Counter-current operation is proposed to meet both requirements of high acid strength and
low residual acid
Need to determine acid neutralisation potential of ore in order to maximise acid strength
Laterite heap leaching dependent on cheap acid source, mineralogy, permeability and
counter-current operation to minimise residual acid to recovery plant.
1000
Acid consumption (gangue + mineral), kg/t
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
Acid consumption vs Ni
100 recovery for laterites
0
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
% Ni recovery
LIMONITE Goethite
ZONE (hydrated oxide)
1- 2% Ni
SAPROLITE OREBODY
Serpentine
ZONE (hydrated silicate)
1.5 - 2.5% Ni
The process of oxidation and weathering
Olivine and pyroxene depletes the original mafic rock of Mg and
Mg RICH “ULTRAMAFIC”
(silicate minerals) Si, and concentrates Fe and Ni in the
ROCK
0.3% Ni weathered zone.
Proposed counter-current heap leach arrangement
120-75 g/L Acid ~50 g/L Acid
R
S
I O O O O O N
T
N L L L L L E
A
Wash S D D D D D W
C
E
K
Acid
Barren PLS
Feed OLD heaps ILS
100
90
80 Acid neutralising
70 potential
60 Feed
50
40
30
20
10 Drainage
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220
Duration (d)
Advantages
Disadvantages
Low capital and operating costs Lower recoveries than
Absence of milling step, may mill/float or mill/leach
require crushing and
agglomeration Long leach cycles and
Simplicity of atmospheric leach hold-up
processes
Can be used to treat low-grade Lengthy experimental
ores, wastes and small deposits programmes
Absence of liquid-solid Large footprint
separation step allows counter-
current operation Acid-mine drainage of
Metal tenor may be built up by wastes
recycling solution over heaps