Felix W. Ntengwe
The leaching of dolomitic-copper ore using sulphuric acid under controlled conditions was studied with a view to evaluating the economic value and the effect of ore pulverisation, particle size, temperature, and pH on the recovery of copper from chalcopyrite. The samples were ground and mixed with water and sulphuric acid to form an acid soluble copper content of 4.07 %, 8.14 % total copper, and 22 % solids. The leaching was carried out over a duration of 0-6 hours. The sulphuric acid was found to be effective in recovering copper from chalcopyrite with efficiencies ranging from 72 to 93 % for 75 micron particle size and 65 to 84% for the 212 micron sieve size at different pulverising times. The kinetics of dolomitic ore showed that the reaction with H2SO4 was second order with respect to chalcopyrite and first order with respect to dolomite, consistent with the shrinking core model. An increase in temperature corresponded to an increase in copper recovery from solids into the bulk solution. The leaching process was favoured at low pH values (1.8<pH<3) compared to higher ones (pH>3). Economic evaluations indicated positive profit levels for both acid and copper sales, confirming the viability of the process.
@article{2a16c467-88c8-437b-b555-e6e000ceaf09,
title={TOMPJ 3 60},
author={Felix W. Ntengwe},
year={2026},
language={en}
}TY - JOUR TI - TOMPJ 3 60 AU - Felix W. Ntengwe PY - 2026 LA - en ER -
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