Investigation of Leaching Conditions and Leaching Kinetics of Oxidized Copper Ore Malachite at Atmospheric Pressure Using Tartaric Acid Solution

Abstract

In this study, the dissolution conditions and dissolution kinetics of copper from malachite in the presence of organic acid (C₄H₆O₆) as an organic leaching reagent were examined. The effects of particle size, acid concentration, time, solid/liquid ratio, temperature, and mixing speed on the dissolution process of copper were investigated. According to the test results, optimum dissolution conditions are as follows: particle size was 74 µm; organic acid concentration was 0.2 mol/L; duration was 60 min; solid/liquid ratio was 1/10; the temperature was determined as 25 °C and the stirring speed was 300 rpm; and the copper extraction value was obtained as 73.18% under optimum experimental conditions. Kinetic models were applied to the dissolution efficiencies obtained to determine the dissolution kinetics of copper in the presence of organic acid, and it was found that the dissolution process was controlled by the film diffusion model. In light of the data obtained, it can be said that organic acid, which is an economical and environmentally friendly leaching reagent, can be used in the dissolution of copper from malachite \((\text{Cu}(\text{OH}{)}_{2}{\text{CuCO}}_{3})\), as well as in the leaching of other precious metals such as copper, zinc, and cobalt from oxide and carbonate ores.