Organisers: Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
Location: Sydney, NSW
Date: 6 October 2004
Presenter: Frank Houllis, Process Development Manager, Intec Ltd and Andrew Platts, General Manager, Hellyer Metals Project
Sydney AUSIMM paper_2004.pdf (Acrobat PDF Document, 368Kb)
Organisers: RIU
Location: Fremantle, Western Australia
Date: 26 May 2004
"The Intec Gold Process for Refractory Gold Concentrates"
Presenter: Philip Wood, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Intec Ltd
Cobre 2003
Organisers: CIM
Location: Santiago, Chile
Date: 30 November - 3 December 2003
Presenter: John Moyes, Technical Director, Intec Ltd
Alta Copper 2003
Organisers: Alta Metallurgical Services
Presenter: Philip Wood, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Intec Ltd
Alta Nickel 2003
Organisers: Alta Metallurgical Services
Website: www.altamet.com.au
Location: Perth, Australia
Date: 19-23 May, 2003
Presenter: Frank Houllis, Process Development Manager, Intec Ltd
Abstract:
Intec Ltd has patented a mixed halide hydrometallurgical process for the extraction of base metals and associated by-products from sulfidic mineral concentrates. The application of this technology has primarily focused on the Intec Copper Process (ICP), which has been developed to commercial readiness through the operation of a 350tpa demonstration plant [1]. The same mixed halide chemistry has been applied to the development of Intec Zinc Process (IZP) [2] that is the subject of a separate patent.
Most recently, the Intec process chemistry has been applied to complex ore bodies, where it permits maximum metal recovery into a low-grade bulk concentrate. All metals are leached into solution at high efficiency and subsequently converted to high purity metal and metallic by-products.
Nickel ore bodies are often mineralogically complex with economic levels of base metals (Cu and Co) and precious metals (Pt, Pd, Au, etc) often associated with the nickel. The capacity to treat low-grade bulk concentrates has the potential to significantly improve returns from complex nickel deposits. The need to find a low-cost processing route for such ores has driven the recent development of the Intec Nickel Process (INP). A laboratory-scale development program was completed in November 2002 based on a particularly low-grade nickel (3.1%)/copper (2.2%) concentrate produced from a complex nickel ore containing significant precious metals values.
The chemistry of the INP flowsheet is described in the context of the experimental results and preliminary capital and operating cost data are also presented.
Chloride Metallurgy 2002
Organisers: The Hydrometallurgy Section of the Metallurgical Society
Website: www.hydrometallurgysection.org
Location: Montreal, Canada
Date: October 19-23, 2002
Presenters: Philip Wood, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer and Dr Frank Houllis, Process Development Manager, Intec Ltd
Abstract:
The application of chloride hydrometallurgy to the treatment of base metal sulfide concentrates and its inherent advantages has been well documented for over a century. The chloride/bromide based Intec Copper Process and Intec Zinc Process offer a unique approach to such treatment, central to which is the ability to generate the powerful oxidant, BrCl2- at the anode. The benefits of this approach are evident in all process stages and are wide ranging, to offer superior, low cost and sustainable production of high purity metal. In the leaching stage, high metal extractions that include precious metals are achieved under the mild conditions of 85ºC and atmospheric pressure in the one circuit. Oxygen input through air injection and minimal sulfur oxidation to sulfate combine to result in the lowest energy consumption during leaching when compared to equivalent hydrometallurgical processes. In the purification of the PLS, the Intec Processes use low cost cementation and precipitation through alkali addition. In comparison, all other hydrometallurgical processes use SX, which is burdened by onerous cost and complicated operations. In the electrowinning stage, the Intec Processes benefit from their ability to generate soluble BrCl2- at the anode rather than oxygen.
Green Processing 2002
Organisers: Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
Website: www.ausimm.com
Location: Cairns, Australia
Date: May 29-31, 2002
Presenter: Kieran Rodgers, Business Development Manager, Intec Ltd
Abstract:
The Intec Copper Process is an environmentally advantageous hydrometallurgical process for the production of high purity copper and associated precious metals from copper sulfide concentrates.
The process uses a mixed chloride-bromide lixiviant in an elegant cyclic circuit to leach the copper into solution, rejecting the iron as stable goethite rather than as unstable jarosite. After purification of the pregnant liquor, copper is electrowon at London Metal Exchange Grade A purity, while the anodic energy of the cell is stored as the soluble species, HalexTM, for recycle as the regenerated lixiviant to the leach circuit. Both gold and silver are leached and recovered directly from this cyclic process without resorting to cyanide leaching of the residue.
No liquid emissions result from the Intec Copper Process, whilst spent air and water vapour from the leach are released to the atmosphere. The sulfur in the minerals reports to the solids residue in elemental form, without the need for expensive handling of voluminous gaseous sulfur dioxide streams found in smelters. A significant difference to competing smelting and hydrometallurgical processes is that any mercury entering the process from the sulfide concentrate feed is recovered rather than reporting directly to waste or polluting the environment.
Outside the process circuit itself, the Intec Copper Process has several notable environmental advantages over competing technologies:
- Flexibility of scale with low capital and operating costs allow operation directly at the mill head at production rates as low as 15,000tpa, significantly reducing environmental impacts from concentrates transport.
- The ability to handle low-grade and dirty concentrates allows greater recoveries in the mill, improving both the economics and environmental acceptability of a mine by reducing metal losses to tailings.
- A comparison of the total energy requirements of the Intec Copper Process with those of competing technologies shows that the Intec Copper Process has the lowest energy consumption of any of the known pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes.
Green Processing 2002.pdf (Acrobat PDF Document, 839Kb)
Alta Copper 2002
Organisers: Alta Metallurgical Services
Website: www.altamet.com.au
Location: Perth, Australia
Date: May 23-24, 2002
Paper: "The Intec Copper Process: Superior and Sustainable Metals Production"
Presenter: John Moyes, Technical Director, Intec Ltd
Abstract:
The Intec Copper Process is a proven, patented hydrometallurgical process for the production of high purity copper and associated precious metals from sulfide concentrates. Developed and proven at a cost of US$15 million over the past 10 years, the Intec Copper Process is now well advanced towards full-scale projects in Australia and North America.
The technology has several notable advantages over both smelting and other hydrometallurgical processes. Starting from a base of substantially lower capital and operating costs than any other conventional or developing process, the Intec Copper Process is economically viable at capacity levels as low as 15,000tpa copper, and is capable of treating low grade and contaminated concentrates. Precious metals are recovered within the process without the need for re-treatment of the leach residue. The Intec Copper Process offers the lowest energy consumption of the available technologies, with no liquid or noxious gaseous emissions.
Since completion of a one tonne of copper per day demonstration plant program, the process flowsheet has been refined by incorporation of the program findings, which have resulted in significant simplification of the leach, purification and electrowinning circuits. Consequently, both capital and operating cost estimates (as set out in this paper) have moved even further below those of conventional smelting or other hydrometallurgical processes.
In addition, the knowledge gained during the development of the Intec Copper Process has also been applied to the Intec Zinc Process.
Alta Paper.pdf (Acrobat PDF Document, 333Kb)
CIM Vancouver 2002
Organisers: Canadian Institute of Metallurgy
Website: www.cimvancouver2002.org
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Date: April 28 – May 1, 2002
2 papers presented: "The Intec Copper Process: Activity in British Columbia" and "The Intec Zinc Process"
Paper: "The Intec Copper Process: Activity in British Columbia"
Presenter: Philip Wood, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Intec Ltd
Abstract:
The Intec Copper Process is an internationally patented hydrometallurgical process for the extraction of pure copper and precious metals from sulfide concentrates. Developed and proven in Sydney, Australia at a cost of US$15m over the last ten years, the Intec Copper Process is now ready for commercial application.
The Intec Copper Process has several notable advantages over both smelting and other hydrometallurgical processes. Starting from a base of substantially lower capital and operating costs than any other conventional or developing process, the Intec Copper Process is economically viable at capacity levels as low as 15,000tpa-Cu, and capable of accepting low grade and metallurgically complex concentrates. Precious metals are recovered within the Intec Copper Process circuit, without the need for re-treatment of the environmentally stable solid residues. The Intec Copper Process offers the lowest energy consumption of the available technologies, with no liquid emissions or production of noxious gases. Unlike smelting, sulfur is recovered in the solid residues in elemental form.
CIMM02 The Intec Copper Process.pdf (Acrobat PDF Document, 472Kb)
Paper: "The Intec Zinc Process"
Presenter: Philip Wood, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Intec Ltd
Abstract:
The Intec Process is a generic process for the production of pure base metals and precious metals from sulphides concentrates derived from copper, nickel, zinc and lead ores. The development program for the Intec Process initially focussed on the treatment of copper concentrates, (the ‘Intec Copper Process’), and more recently of zinc concentrates, (‘the Intec Zinc Process’).
Developed and proven in Sydney, Australia at a cost of US$15m over the last ten years, the Intec Copper Process is now ready for commercial application. The knowledge gained during the development of the Intec Copper Process has been applied to the Intec Zinc Process, which utilises the same basic chemistry to produce high purity zinc ingot from metallurgically complex zinc sulphide concentrates containing lead, copper, iron, silver and gold.
The demonstrated ability of the Intec Zinc Process to treat low grade mixed zinc/lead/copper concentrates, including those with high iron and manganese levels, holds out the real prospect of overcoming major metallurgical hurdles that have long affected the zinc industry.
The Intec Zinc Process consists of the three consecutive circuits of leaching, purification and electrowinning. The leach circuit is of single stage configuration with a series of reactors to which concentrate and lixiviant are fed. Purification consists of cementation and precipitation by pH adjustment. Electrowinning employs an electrolytic cell very similar in design to that of the Intec Copper Process, but differs in that a conventional plate cathode is produced.
During electrowinning, the same mixed halide species (BrCl2-, HalexTM) that is integral to the Intec Copper Process is generated in solution at the anode and exhibits powerful leaching characteristics capable of directly leaching the sulphide concentrate feed. The need to roast the concentrate prior to leaching, as is practised in the conventional Roast/Leach/Electrowin (RLE) process, is thus eliminated whilst a range of by-products (notably lead, copper and precious metals) can be extracted in the simple, single-stage leach.
This paper describes the Intec Zinc Process; the technology, predicted economics and its environmental aspects.
CIMM02 The Intec Zinc Process.pdf (Acrobat PDF Document, 365Kb)
Website: www.mim-eng.com/bio02.html
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Date: March 13-15, 2002
Presenter: John Moyes, Technical Director, Intec Ltd
Abstract:
The Intec Process is a generic process for the production of pure base metals and precious metals from sulphides concentrates derived from copper, nickel, zinc and lead ores. The Company’s development program for the Intec Process initially focussed on the treatment of copper concentrates, the Intec Copper Process, and more recently of zinc concentrates, the Intec Zinc Process.
Developed and proven in Sydney, Australia at a cost of US$15m over the last ten years, the Intec Copper Process is now ready for commercial application. The mild operating conditions of the technology – atmospheric pressure and temperatures below 100°C – require only relatively simple materials of construction. Starting from a base of substantially lower capital and operating costs than any other conventional or developing process, the Intec Copper process is economically viable at capacity levels as low as 15,000tpa copper, and is readily capable of treating low grade and metallurgically complex concentrates without additional cost or penalty. As precious metals are recovered directly within the Intec Copper Process circuit, there is no need to re-treat its environmentally stable solid residues, and no liquid emissions or noxious gases are produced.
The Intec Zinc Process, which produces high purity zinc ingot, with lead, copper and silver as valuable by-products, utilises the same basic chemistry as the Intec Copper Process. The demonstrated ability of the Intec Zinc Process to treat low grade mixed zinc/lead/copper concentrates, including those with high iron and manganese levels, holds out the real prospect of overcoming major metallurgical hurdles that have long affected the zinc industry.
The Intec Zinc Process consists of the three consecutive circuits of leaching, purification and electrowinning. The leach circuit is of single stage configuration with a series of reactors to which concentrate and lixiviant are fed. Purification consists of cementation and precipitation by pH adjustment. Electrowinning employs an electrolytic cell very similar in design to that of the Intec Copper Process, but differs in that a conventional plate cathode is produced.
During electrowinning, the same mixed halide species (BrCl2-, HalexTM) that is integral to the Intec Copper Process is generated in solution at the anode and exhibits powerful leaching characteristics capable of directly leaching the sulphide concentrate feed. The need to roast the concentrate prior to leaching, as is practised in the conventional Roast/Leach/Electrowin (RLE) process, is thus eliminated whilst a range of by-products (notably lead, copper and precious metals) can be extracted in the simple, single-stage leach.
With the exception of the single-stage leach, the Intec Zinc Process resembles in concept the hydrometallurgical processes employed in the sulphate medium for the treatment of the calcine product from roasting. This paper describes the Intec Zinc Process; the technology, predicted economics and its environmental aspects.
Canadian Mineral Processors Division Conference
Organiser: CMP, B.C./Yukon
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Date: November 29-30, 2001
Presenter: John Moyes, Technical Director, Intec Ltd
Abstract:
Capital and operating costs of the Intec Copper Process are substantially lower than both smelting and other hydrometallurgical processes. It is economically viable at production capacity levels down to 20,000 tpa-Cu, and is capable of accepting low grade and metallurgically complex concentrates. Precious metals are recovered within the Intec Copper Process circuit, and environmentally stable solid residues are produced requiring no subsequent re-treatment.
Independent Life Cycle Analysis shows that the Intec Copper Process incurs the lowest energy consumption of all hydrometallurgical processes. The Intec Copper Process has no liquid emissions; produces no noxious gases, and sulfur deports to the residue in elemental form.
The metallurgical challenges for many British Columbian copper/gold mining companies to produce smelter-grade concentrates are significant. In addition, the requirement to transport British Columbian concentrates over long distances for conventional smelter/refinery treatment imposes significant off-site production costs. Therefore, in view of the competitive power costs available in British Columbia, the Intec Copper Process offers a significant opportunity to capture value at or near the mine site. In alliance with H.G. Engineering of Toronto, Ontario, Intec is therefore now examining project opportunities within the Province, with its presently preferred option being to locate a 25,000 tpa-Cu plant at the former Island Copper mine site near Port Hardy on northern Vancouver Island.
Organiser: MEI Conferences
Location: Conference was to be held in Vancouver, September 2001. It was cancelled, however, after the September 11 attacks in the USA.
Presenter: paper not presented due to cancellation of conference.
Abstract:
The Intec Copper Process is an internationally patented hydrometallurgical process for the extraction of pure copper, precious metals and associated economic by-products from sulfide concentrates. Developed and proven in Sydney, Australia at a cost of US$15m over the last ten years, the Intec Copper Process is now ready for commercial application.
This paper presents a description and analysis of the three key areas upon which this new technology will likely be assessed – the technology itself, the process economics, and the environmental aspects.
The process is based on the electrolytic deposition from a purified sodium chloride-sodium bromide electrolyte of LME Grade A purity copper at the cathode of an electrolytic cell. During electrowinning, the mixed halide species BrCl2- (“HalexÔ”) is generated in solution at the anode and exhibits powerful leaching characteristics when it is re-circulated to treat incoming concentrate feed.
Starting from a base of substantially lower capital and operating costs than any other conventional or developing process, the Intec Copper Process is economically viable at capacity levels as low as 15,000tpa-Cu, and capable of accepting low grade and metallurgically complex concentrates. Precious metals are recovered within the Intec Copper Process circuit, without the need for re-leaching of the leach residue with cyanide. The Intec Copper Process offers the lowest energy consumption of the available technologies, with no liquid noxious gas emissions. Unlike smelting, sulfide sulfur is converted to the elemental state.