Mineralogical reconciliation of cobalt recovery from the acid leaching of oxide ores from five deposits in Katanga (DRC)

In mines in Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), cobalt is commonly recovered from oxy-hydroxide minerals (e.g. heterogenite, asbolane) using a sulfuric acid leach under reducing conditions. However, most of the leaching operations show yields of Co, below 80% so the current study focused on determining the reasons for the recovery shortfall. A range of samples were investigated comprising a detailed mineralogical characterization of five concentrate and leached samples from different mine plants in the Katanga region: namely Kalukuluku, Mutanda, Mabaya, Kamwali and Fungurume mines. The analyses were carried out prior to and after leaching treatments using a combination of chemical (ICP-AES) and mineralogical techniques (XRD, automated mineralogy, SEM-EDS and X-ray mapping). The results revealed that heterogenite and asbolane occur in samples both prior to and after leaching: this confirms the ineffective leaching of these minerals or/and the presence of Co-bearing refractory minerals and other phases inhibiting the diffusion of leachate. SEM-EDS and X-ray mapping of leached samples showed that both heterogenite and asbolane are commonly finely intergrown with clays and Fe-oxy-hydroxides (FOH). These outcomes are in agreement with automated mineralogy results for the Co deportment, showing that Co is mainly hosted in: (a) pure heterogenite particles, (b) heterogenite intergrown with other minerals, (c) fine-grain heterogenite (≤1µm) enclosed in clays, and (d) clays or/and FOH adsorbing Co in the structure. The Co recovery inefficiency is a result of the mineralogical complexity of the ores, making the current processing strategy sub-optimal. In conclusion the two main reasons for the incomplete recovery are: firstly mineral liberation issues and secondly the presence of un-recoverable elemental Co within the structure of refractory phases.