Efficiency of Chemical and Biological Leaching of Copper Slag for the Recovery of Metals and Valorisation of the Leach Residue as Raw Material in Cement Production

Päivi Kinnunen (Corresponding Author), Jarno Mäkinen, Marja Salo, Ratana Soth, Konstantinos Komnitsas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)
101 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Copper slags produced in vast quantities in smelting operations could be considered as secondary material sources instead of stockpiling them in landfills. This study investigates the recovery of valuable metals from copper slag and the valorisation of the leach residue as construction material in line with the principles of a circular economy. By taking into account that the environmental characterization of the as-received copper slag did not allow its disposal in landfills without prior treatment, chemical and biological leaching were tested for the recovery of metals. Pre-treatment with acids, namely HNO3 and H2SO4, resulted in the extraction of several target metals and the production of an almost inert waste. Despite the clearly better oxidative conditions prevailing in the bioleaching reactors, chemical leaching resulted in the higher dissolution of Cu (71% vs. 51%), Co (70% vs. 36%), and Zn (65% vs. 44%). The acid consumption was much lower during the bioleaching experiments compared to the chemical leaching. The bioleach residue was suitable for its use as supplementary cementitious material, showing a better performance than the reference sample without causing any detrimental effects to the calcium aluminate cement (CAC) quality. The complete valorisation of copper slags is expected to improve the economics of the process, by avoiding landfill costs and producing saleable products with high added value.
Original languageEnglish
Article number654
Number of pages19
JournalMinerals
Volume10
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Jul 2020
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

  • copper slag
  • bioleaching
  • leaching
  • environmental characteristics
  • supplementary cementitious material
  • cement

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Efficiency of Chemical and Biological Leaching of Copper Slag for the Recovery of Metals and Valorisation of the Leach Residue as Raw Material in Cement Production'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this