the three curves shown, at a predetermined maximum
pressure loss.
The completed K57 Shaft should show an even
better result, because the steel buntons actually in-
stalled (Fig. 8) are much more streamlined than the
corresponding shape used in the test represented by
item 3 ( s e e Fig. 4).
This section is fabricated by welding (by the sub-
merged arc process) of two pressed or rolled com-
ponents. It was developed in South Africa, and i s
believed t o cost no more than a standard rolled s t e e l
joist of comparable strength.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Grateful acknowledgement i s due to the Management
of Mount I s a Mines Limited for the sponsorship of the
project investigation and for permission to publish
this paper; and to Professor F.T.M. White, to Mr.
W.E. Vance (a colleague), to Mr. David J . Parker
(laboratory technician), and t o many others, for
valued assistance in carrying out the work.
PILOT PLANT TESTING OF CYANIDE LEACHING
OF COPPER FROM WHITE PINE TAILINGS
by D. H. Rose, V.
A cyanide leaching process developed a t Michigan
Technological University was tested in a 12 to 24
tpd pilot plant. Flowsheet layout a n d equipment a r e
described. Cyclic operation of leaching, copper pre-
cipitation by acidification, a n d regeneration of the
cyanide leaching solution a r e discussed. Copper ex-
traction and reagent consumption were a s predicted
by laboratory tests, and the process was proven to be
technically feasible.
T he White Pine Copper Co., a wholly-owned sub-
sidiary of the Copper Range Co., produces copper
in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Production in
1965 amounted to 138 million pounds of metal. An ex-
pansion program now under way will increase this by
approximately one half. The highly mechanized room
D. H. ROSE i s Research Chemist, Inst. of Mineral Re-
search, Michigan - Technological
- .. Houghton,
University. - Mich.;
V. LESSELS, Member AIME, i s Senior Research Engineer,
and D. J . BUCKWALTER i s Smelter Superintendent, White
P i n e Copper Co.. White P i n e , Mich. T P 67B30. Manuscript,
Nov. 1, 1966. L o s A n g e l e s Meeting, February 1967. Dis-
c u s s i o n o f this paper, submitted i n duplicate prior to
Sept. 15, 1967, will appear i n SME Transactions, December
1967, and AIME Transactions, 1967, vol. 238.
Society of Mining Engineers
Much of the instrumentation work in the equipping
of the wind tunnel was carried out by Mr. E. G.
Thomas, Research student?
REFERENCES
'G.E. McElroy: Engineering Factors in the Ventilation of Metal
Mines, U.S. Bureau o f Mines B u l l e t i n No. 385. 1935.
'K.M. Finlay and G.G. Northcote: The K57 Shaft Project, Mount
Isa Mines Ltd., 1965.
3 ~ Greuer:
. Der Wetterwiderstand von Schachten, Bergbau Archiv,
1960, vol. 21, No. 1.
4 J . ~ Bromilow:
. The Estimation end the Reduction of the Aero-
dynamic R e s i s t a n c e of Mine Shafts. Transactions Instn Min.
Engrs, May 1960, vol. 119, Pt. 8 .
'F.T.M. White: T h e Queensland University Experimental Mine,
P r o c e e d i n g s o f Eighth Commonwealth Mining & Metallurgical
Congress, 1965.
6 ~ . Gregory:
~ . Wind Tunnel T e s t i n g F a c i l i t y at University's
Experimental Mine, Minlng & Chemical Engineering R e v i e w ,
16 August. 1965.
' I ~ r i t i s hStandards Institution: F l o w Measurement, B . S . 1042:
1943.
'E.G. Thomas: Instrumentation for Ventilation Studies on a Mine
Shaft Model, T h e s i s (B.E.), 1961, University of Queensland.
Lessels, and D. J. Buckwalter
and pillar mine produces 18,000 tons of ore per day,
which i s treated in a flotation plant. The concentrate
i s smelted in a reverberatory furnace, the matte i s
blown in converters to blister copper, and the blister
copper is further refined to a uniformly high-quality
Lake copper, which i s 100% conductive and has a
silver content of 25 to 40 oz per ton.
The run of the mine ore averages 22.5 lbs of copper
per ton with the ore mineral occurring in the form of
chalcocite. The nature of the mineralization is such
that the sand tailings average a little over 4 lbs of
copper per ton. Intensive research h a s improved copper
recovery in the flotation operation to some extent, but
a t the s c a l e of present operation about 12,000 tons of
sands containing over 48,000 lbs of copper go to the
tailings pond daily. When the plant expansion i s com-
pleted, the l o s s of copper will be somewhat greater.
In 1959, the White Pine Copper CO, initiated a study
of the recovery of copper in the sand tailings. Inas-
much a s the flotation operation was considered to be
optimized, a logical approach seemed to be leaching.
For various reasons ammonia, ferric chloride, acid,
and biological leaching were ruled out a s impracti-
cable. This led to a consideration of cyanide leach-
JUNE 1967 - 221
ing a s practiced in t h e precious metals industry.
In an early investigation at t h e White P i n e Labora-
tory, s a n d tailings were treated with a solution of
calcium cyanide under oxidizing conditions, and t h e
copper dissolved readily; however, cyanide recovery
was not sufficiently high t o make t h i s leaching
method economic. In August 1960, t h e study w a s
brought to t h e Institute of Mineral Research a t t h e
Michigan Technological University a s a sponsored
project. Laboratory experimentation there eventually
developed a process whereby cyanide w a s conserved
by the exclusion of air, and about 90% of t h e copper
was dissolved with very l i t t l e l o s s of either cyanide
or sulphide ions. L e a c h i n g methods, copper precipi-
tation, cyanide regeneration, and optimum concentra-
tion l e v e l s were a l s o investigated. T h i s work led t o
a process on which a patent entitled Treatment o f
Sulfidic Material w a s granted (U.S. P a t e n t No.
3,224,835) in December 1965.
P I L O T P L A N T TESTS
Due to s u c c e s s on the bench s c a l e a t t h e Michigan
Technological University, a recommendation was
made to t h e White P i n e Copper Co. that a pilot plant
be built to demonstrate t h e feasibility of the cyanide
leaching process. P i l o t plant t e s t s were desirable
because of t h e lack of operating plant d a t a on cyan-
ide leaching of copper sulphide ores. It w a s deemed
necessary to i n ~ e s t i g ~ both
t e the mechanical and chem-
i c a l feasibility of t h e process on a pilot plant s c a l e , i t
w a s necessary t o confirm t h e predictions b a s e d on the
laboratory results, and, further, i t w a s necessary t o
obtain data for design of a prototype plant.
leaching tank is shown in F i g . 2. In operation t h e
tank w a s filled with s a n d by means of a revolving
distributor positioned just below t h e tank cover. A
barometric l e g attached to t h e underside of the filter
permitted u s e of vacuum to i n c r e a s e t h e percolation
rate. T h e leached s a n d s were flushed into a 12-in.
discharge pipe extending up through t h e center of t h e
tank just to t h e filter level; water j e t s were placed
around t h e periphery of the tank t o completely remove
the sands.
T h e sulfuric acid precipitator c o n s i s t e d of a c l o s e d
s t a i n l e s s s t e e l tank 24 in. in diam by 3 6 in. high
containing a s e a l e d Lightning agitator. Pregnant
leach solution w a s pumped into t h e tank continuously.
Sulfuric acid w a s metered to the tank by a pH con-
troller on t h e precipitator overflow. T h e acid slurry
from t h e precipitator w a s filtered and washed on a
24-in. laboratory EIMCO filter with an enclosed
s t a i n l e s s s t e e l filter drum.
T h e acid filtrate storage tank w a s a cylindrical
s t e e l , rubber lined, two-cubic meter tank a l s o
equipped with a s e a l e d Lightning mixer.
T h e cyanide regeneration equipment consisted of
three towers packed with 1-in. Berl s a d d l e s and con-
nected in s e r i e s s o that nitrogen could b e passed up-
ward through e a c h tower. T h e first two towers, for
stripping, were 1 0 in. i n diam by 1 5 ft high and made
of s t a i n l e s s s t e e l . Acid filtrate containing HCN w a s
passed downward through t h e first tower, then pumped
to t h e top of t h e s e c o n d tower and p a s s e d downward
countercurrent to t h e stream of nitrogen. T h e solution
WATER

Construction of a 1 2 t o 24 ton per day pilot plant

located in the mill building a t White P i n e w a s com-
pleted in August 1963, and pilot plant t e s t s were
carried on from that time until June 1964.
Chemistry of Process: T h e chemistry of the process
involves the following reactions:
LEACHING -

PRECIPITATION -
3caff + 2 C u ( C ~ ? +l S = +
121
3H ,SO4- 3CaS04

REGENERATION -
H' + CN- ( i n solution) -HCN ( g a s i n N2)
C31
2HCN + CaO -Ca (cN?, + H ,0.
Flowsheet and Equipment: A schematic diagram of
the pilot plant flowsheet is shown in F i g . 1.
T h e leaching tank consisted of a closed cylindrical
v e s s e l 8 ft in diam and 1 0 ft high, with a filter 6 in.
above t h e conical bottom, and a g l a s s covered view-
ing port near the top of t h e tank. A diagram of t h e Fig. I - Flowsheet o f Cyanide P r o c e s s .

222 - JUNE 1967 TRANSACTIONS

LEACH SOLUTION
SAND DISTRIWTOR
SAND FLUWING RI
FILTER BOT
ti-1 -
CYANIDE L E A C H I N G TANK
SAND
p&M
F:lAcc::
VENT
TAILS
TO SCRUBBER
TOMATIC LEVEL
W D F ~ V W l f f iCOCKS
-CONDUCTIVITY
-EFFLUENT
CCFLUENT W Y P
F i g . 2 - Diagram o f L e a c h i n g T a n k .
stripped of c y a n i d e w a s discharged t o w a s t e through
a trap a t t h e bottom of t h e s e c o n d tower. T h e cyanide-
laden nitrogen w a s then p a s s e d upward counter-
current t o a downward stream of lime water i n the
third, or absorption, tower t o remove t h e HCN. T h i s
tower, made of ordinary iron pipe, w a s 10 in. i n diam
by 12 ft high. T h e regenerated solution discharged t o
leach s t o r a g e through a trap a t the bottom of t h e ab-
sorption tower contained virtually a l l of t h e original
cyanide that had been i n t h e a c i d filtrate.
Leaching Operations: T h e raw s a n d t a i l s for t h e t e s t s
averaged 0.241%copper. In s i z e structure, t h e s a n d
w a s 65% +200 mesh, 10% +325 mesh, and t h e re-
mainder -325 mesh. T h e s a n d t a i l s w e r e dewatered
t o about 60% s o l i d s by a Krebs 6-in. cyclone. Enough
lime w a s added t o t h e leach feed a s a floculating
agent t o r a i s e the pH t o 11.2. Without lime, s e v e r e
channeling occurred when t h e alkaline l e a c h solution
contacted t h e ore.
During leaching, a vacuum of 19 in. w a s applied t o
t h e barometric l e g o f t h e l e a c h i n g tank. P r o g r e s s of
the l e a c h i n g c y c l e w a s monitored continuously by
recording the conductivity of the effluent l e a c h solu-
tion. A typical conductivity curve for o n e of the
t e s t s , with the c y a n i d e and copper concentrations
superimposed, is shown in F i g . 3. T h e s h a p e of t h i s
curve and c h a n g e s i n conductivity governed the
leaching operation.
When t h e tank had been filled with s a n d t a i l s a n d
the e x c e s s water decanted, t h e required amount of
calcium c y a n i d e solution p l u s a s l i g h t e x c e s s w a s
pumped onto t h e bed. At the beginning of t h e l e a c h i n g
c y c l e , effluent w a s discharged until there w a s a r i s e
in conductivity. At t h i s first indication of cyanide,
t h e solution w a s diverted t o t h e 'Ends' s t o r a g e tank.
T h i s solution w a s low in both copper and cyanide.
A s soon a s the conductivity reached 10 t o 12
micromhos, t h e solution w a s diverted t o t h e 'Rich'
s t o r a g e tank. Here the curve approached a plateau,
S o c i e t y o f Mining Engineers
CONTROLLER
RCORDEll
SOLUTION
Fig. 3 - Conductivity Curve for T e s t No. 50.
and t h e amount of cyanide approached t h e original
concentration while t h e solution w a s saturated with
copper.
When the conductivity of t h e effluent began t o r i s e
again, indicating t h e presence of f r e e cyanide, t h e
solution w a s diverted t o the 'Recycle' tank. B e c a u s e
of i t s high cyanide a n d low copper content, t h i s solu-
tion w a s used for new l e a c h make-up.
A s soon a s the conductivity began to drop, indi-
c a t i n g that wash water w a s beginning t o percolate
through t h e bed, t h e effluent w a s a g a i n diverted t o
the 'Ends' tank. Here i t w a s collected until t h e
cyanide concentration became too low for economical
regeneration, and t h e remaining effluent w a s wasted.
In actual plant operations, t h e residual cyanide in
wasted effluent would b e destroyed by chlorination.
In a typical t e s t on 14.5 t o n s of s a n d t a i l s a s s a y i n g
.228% copper, about 1663 gal of cyanide containing
18.7 g NaCN e q / L and 0.2 g C u / L were required.
T h e entire l e a c h i n g c y c l e from filling t o emptying the
tank took about 12 hrs. About 87.6%of t h e copper
w a s recovered in t h e 'Rich', 'Recycle', and 'Ends'
s o l u t i o n s with a cyanide l o s s of about .18 l b s NaCN
per pound of copper recovered. T h e amounts of t h e s e
s o l u t i o n s and their c y a n i d e and copper concentrations
are shown in T a b l e I.
Precipitation of t h e copper from t h e 'Rich' and
'Ends' solutions w a s accomplished i n t h e precipita-
tion equipment previously described. T h e laboratory
t e s t s h a d shown t h a t nearly a l l of t h e copper could
be precipitated a s C u z S at pH 2 . 3 t o 3 provided there
w a s 10% e x c e s s sulfide ion concentration present
over t h a t theoretically required. In t h e pilot plant,
sodium bisulfide (sulfide make-up) w a s added directly
t o t h e 'Rich' and 'Ends' s t o r a g e t a n k s t o adjust t h e
s u l f i d e concentration.
T h e dried filter c a k e w a s composed of copper s u l -
fide and gypsum. Several t e s t s indicated that n o
problems would occur in matte smelting by adding
JUNE 1967 - 223
 accounted for in t h e final cyanide balance.
Table I. L e a c h Solution Distribution and Concentrations
- - Consumption of other reagents per pound of copper
Volume, N a C N Eq., Copper, recovered were: lime 2.06 Ibs, s p e n t sulfuric acid
Gal g/L 91'- (75%) 3.60 l b s , and sodium bisulfide 0.099 lbs.
Reagent c o s t s per l b of recovered copper were
Rich 1122 16.5 5.4
about 9~ t o lo$, depending upon shipping c o s t s . By
Recycle 515 17.2 1.5
altering the present flotation flowsheet s o a s to
Ends 760 3.2 .7
combine t h e cleaner flotation t a i l s with t h e coarser
fraction of s a n d t a i l s , t h e amount of l e a c h plant feed
t h i s c a k e directly t o t h e flotation concentrate, a s would b e decreased t o about 7,000 tpd while t h e
gypsum anhydrite could be substituted for limestone copper content would be raised to about 7 l b s per ton
in the reverberatory furnace. of sand. Reagent c o s t s for a feed of t h i s character
With the possible u s e of flue g a s in mind, partial would s t i l l be about 9~ to 1 0 per ~ l b of copper
precipitation w a s a l s o carried out with C O , according recovered.
to the following reaction:
3 H 2 C 0 3 + NaHS + 2CaCu(C~),-2CaC0, + CONCLUSIONS

NaHCO, + C u 2 S + 6HCN.
I U s e of t h i s process t o recover copper from flotation

i
T h i s proved s u c c e s s f u l chemically, but the crystal-
tailings depends upon t h e following conditions which
prevail a t White P i n e :
line CaCO, fouled the equipment a n d p i p e l i n e s t o 1) T h e tailing to b e leached p o s s e s s e s little value,
s o far a s conventional beneficiation processes a r e
such a n extent that continuous operation became
concerned, for other than road material.
impossible.
a) Recovery by flotation t o produce smelter feed
T o regenerate calcium cyanide solution, the a c i d
appears to b e a t i t s economic limit.
filtrate w a s run through the stripping and absorption
towers previously described. Regenerated leach solu- b) T h e amount of acid-soluble material and lack of
pyrite in t h e flotation tailings makes conventional
tion could b e concentrated to a s high a s 4 5 g NaCN
acid-ferric s u l f a t e or bacterial leaching unattractive.
eq/L. T h i s i s a significant s t e p in t h e process in
c) Ammonia leaching of cuprous sulfide is ineffec-
that i t makes i t possible t o eliminate either dilution
tive compared with extraction by cyanide.
water or wash water from the system, and t h e proper
balance of solution volumes and concentrations c a n
2) Preparation of feed for leaching is inexpensive.
a ) No grinding of larger s i z e s i s required to make
thus be maintained. When t h e HCN i n t h e a c i d filtrate
copper available for leaching in a limited time.
was sufficiently high, t h e filtrate w a s realkalized
b) Removal of fines t o obtain necessary flow
with lime and returned directly t o t h e leach solution
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of t h e leach bed is e a s i l y
storage tank along with t h e 'Recycle' solution. By
accomplished.
running a l l three s t a g e s of leaching, precipitation,
3) Copper is rapidly soluble and contaminants
and regeneration simultaneously, the process was
are not.
continuous.
4) Washing is rapid and thorough.
All equipment and storage tanks of t h e plant were
Reagent c o s t s per l b of copper a r e well-defined.
vented t o a central scrubbing system t o avoid con-
Operating labor c o s t s in a well-instrumented plant
tamination of the air by cyanide vapor. AS a further
should compare with t h o s e in a conventional plant.
precaution, a i r in t h e plant w a s analyzed continu-
Maintenance c o s t s should not b e e x c e s s i v e . Capital
ously a t 1 2 different points by an automatic HCN
c o s t s per ton of material treated will be high. A
analyzer connected t o a warning alarm.
7000-tpd cyanide plant may c o s t $1300 to $1400 per
OPERATING RESULTS, REAGENT ton compared t o $600 t o $1000 per ton for a flotation
CONSUMPTION, AND COSTS plant of the s a m e capacity.
Economic a n a l y s i s indicates that an otherwise
T h e overall copper recovery in pilot plant t e s t s w a s v a l u e l e s s feed material containing a s little a s 7 l b s
91.65%, while cyanide l o s s e s averaged 0.362 Ibs of copper per ton i s potentially profitable when
(NaCN eq) per lb of copper recovered. T h e cyanide treated i n a 7000-tpd plant.
l o s s e s were distributed a s follows: leaching 29.1%,
precipitation and filtering 27.276, and stripping and
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
regeneration 43.7%.
During the first s t a g e s of t e s t i n g i t w a s found that T h e authors wish t o acknowledge the contributions
l o s s e s due to formation of cyanide, thiocyanate and of co-workers W. A. Hockings, Research Engineer,
ferrocyanide were not s e r i o u s ; consequently, they Institute of Mineral Research, Michigan Technological
were not determined routinely. However, they a r e in- University and Dr. H. M. Gaudin, Richard's Professor
cluded in the above total cyanide l o s s a s they were of Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

TRANSACTIONS