The PURGES Process

 

The PURGES process aims to recover cobalt from purges generated in polymetallurgical refining processes.

The production of copper is accompanied by secondary cobalt resources in the form of tailings and process purges, presenting an opportunity for the recovery of cobalt with an average concentration of 300 ppm. In the process, innovative membrane-based techniques will be evaluated aiming at the highly selective recovery of cobalt and minimizing the consumption of green solvents in a more sustainable approach. The concentrated cobalt and the sulfuric acid(H2SO4) stream will be forwarded to an evaporation and crystallization step to recover Cobalt(II)-sulfat (CoSO4) as a valuable product.