Distillation recovery of tellurium from copper telluride in oxide forms

Abstract

The paper presents the results of studies into tellurium extraction from its compounds with copper in the form of oxides by the pyrometallurgical method. Commercial copper telluride of Kazakhmys Corporation LLP containing crystalline phases, wt.%: Cu7Te4 – 36.5; Cu5Te3 – 28.5; Cu2Te – 12.9; Cu2.5SO4(OH)3·2H2O – 16.2 and Cu3(SO4)(OH)4 – 6.0 was used as an object of research. The physical and chemical research and technology experiments showed the fundamental possibility of commercial copper telluride processing by oxidative distillation roasting with the extraction of tellurium into a separate product. Air oxygen was used as an oxidant. It was established that a pressure decrease in the range of 80–0.67 kPa at the same temperature entails an increase in the degree of tellurium extraction. However, the tellurium extraction degree (93.0–98.0 %) at all pressures (within 1 hour) acceptable from the technology point of view is achieved at 1100 °C. Increasing the exposure to 3 hours has a minor beneficial effect. Diffractometric studies of cinders from technology experiments showed a decrease in the content of copper oxides in the pressure range of 80–40 kPa and an increase in the Cu3TeO6 phase content. With a subsequent increase in rarefaction from 40 to 0.67 kPa, there is a noticeable decrease in the amount of cuprite and, as a consequence, a sharp increase in the amount of cuprous oxide. A slowdown in the increase of the copper tellurate volume was noted at pressures of 40–20 kPa, and a sharp drop in its content at pressures below 13.3 kPa. The derived condensate is a free-flowing mixture of crystalline phases of tellurium dioxide (67.7 %) and tellurium oxysulfate (32.3 %). This condensate is a middling product for further production of elemental tellurium.