The specialists of a hydrometallurgy laboratory perform the development of technical solutions (technologies and process regulations for engineering) for selective extraction from natural, technogenic and secondary raw materials:
- Nonferrous metals (copper, zinc, nickel, lead, manganese, cobalt);
- Precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium).
Besides, specialists perform selection and calculation of industrial, main and auxiliary equipment for all types of proposed hydrometallurgical processes as well as the scientific support of design works is carried out.
JSC «Uralmekhanobr» is equipped with the laboratory equipment for modelling processes of leaching, ion exchange, extraction, separation of hardly soluble compounds and also processes of crystallization and cementation from solutions.
Types of works:
- Improving the technology for zinc production (leaching operations of cinders and Waelz oxides, solutions cleaning from impurities, electrolysis);
- Development of hydrometallurgical clinker processing schemes of zinc production making it possible to separate commercial zinc concentrates (45-64% content), copper (content not less 50%) and gold (not less 20 g/t);
- Works on complex technology for processing of sulphide middling products containing copper and zinc (4-10%) as well as gold (5-20g/t). Developed processing schemes for given products can include:
- High temperature leaching by acid solutions containing ferric salts (III);
- sulphatisation of middling products by means of concentrated sulphuric acid;
- recovery of the copper and zinc concentrate solution obtained by leaching;
- cake cyanidation with subsequent gold separation.
- Development of schemes for heap leaching of oxidized copper ores (containing 0.5-2% of copper);
- Processing of nonferrous metallurgy powders containing zinc, copper and lead. Processing schemes are developed which enable to separate copper, zinc and lead in a form of marketable concentrates, as well as zinc sulphate in a form of dry salt ZnSO4*7H2O as per GOST 8723-82 or the solution (100-140 g/l of zinc) which finds use in concentrating plants;
- Development of a complex technology for processing different zinc containing powders/dust of ferrous metallurgy (converter, blast furnace, and electric steelmaking production) enabling to return dusts/powder to the metallurgical production with separation of zinc as a marketable byproduct.
- Creating technologies for agitational and heap leaching of oxidized nickel ores (0.7-1.2% of Nickel).
- Development of different methods of treatment and decontamination of waste waters from concentrating plants, hydrometallurgical productions, as well as mine waters.
- Improving technologies for precious metals recovery from technogenic metallic wastes and middling products, as well as technologies for improving «gold fineness» in «Dore» gold up to 99.9-99.99%.
