Attrition Grinding and leaching of enargite concentrate

Enargite Cu3AsS4 belongs to minerals with very low hydrometallurgical extra ctibility of copper. AN application pretreatment of enargite concentrate in acid solutions leads to simultaneous dissolution of copper and arsenic and the final leach liquors solutions have to be treated for the separation of both elements. The application of alkaline natrium sulphide solutions favo urs a selective leaching of arsenic and the copper forms solid residues sui table for pyrometallurgical treatment. The experiments have shown that more than 90% of arsenic can be extracted from enargite by atmospheric alkaline leaching at 90 degrees C. An applied mechanical activation enhances the ra te of arsenic extraction.