We developed a heated chloride heap leaching process for sulfides designed to raise the temperature of the ore bed and enhance copper recovery. The study included a detailed thermal and chemical analysis, supported by simulation models.
This determined the temperature needed to maintain optimal conditions for coppery recovery (based on column test work) and the economic feasibility to implement this at scale.
Compared to the case without heating, total copper recovery increases by 17 percent when an ore bed is heated to 45°C over 70 days of irrigation.