Adsorption of sulfur on Lanxess Lewatit® AF 5 resin during the acidic albion leaching process for chalcopyrite.

Elemental sulfur is one of the major byproducts of the acidic Albion leaching process for chalcopyrite. It is a challenging component in the leach solution as it impedes gold recovery from the residue. Lanxess Lewatit® AF 5 (AF 5) is a microporous carbon-based resin, which is being investigated for the removal of elemental sulfur during this leaching process.

Thermal treatment of Lanxess Lewatit® AF 5 resin used in the atmospheric chalcopyrite leaching process: Regeneration and sulfur recovery.

Elemental sulfur is a key component in the acidic Albion chalcopyrite atmospheric leaching process and is a challenging issue in the residue. It has been proposed to use Lanxess Lewatit® AF 5 (AF 5) catalyst during the leaching of copper concentrates in the acidic Albion leach process, to eliminate the elemental sulfur from the leach residue. When using AF 5 during leaching, the copper and the iron recoveries were above 95% and 80%, respectively.