Copper precipitation method by iron modification and copper precipitation and preparation apparatus used therefor

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a copper extraction method via iron modification and a copper extraction apparatus to perform the method. The method involves adding iron to an acidic solution in an reactor and oxidizing the iron. The method includes adding a copper-containing acidic solution and adding hydrogen as a reaction promoter into the reactor. Thus, the method may artificially modify the iron element to a copper element. Thus, the iron is used to extract a large amount of copper. This method may be as economical as copper mining.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A copper extraction method via iron modification, the method comprising:
 providing a first reactor;   injecting iron or iron oxide into the first reactor;   adding an acidic solution or oxygen through an inlet of reactor into the reactor to oxidize the iron;   selecting a copper-containing acidic solution to be added to the first reactor, wherein the copper-containing acidic solution is selected from a group consisting of copper chloride solution, copper sulfate solution, copper nitrate solution, copper acetate solution, copper borate solution, and copper phosphate solution;   adding the selected copper-containing acidic solution into the first reactor;   adding hydrogen as a reaction promoter to the first reactor to promote modification reaction to extract the iron into acidic copper;   injecting a neutralizing agent into the first reactor containing the resulting acidic copper to neutralize the acidic copper, wherein the neutralizing agent is selected from a group consisting of sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and a surfactant;   adding washing water to the first reactor containing the neutralized copper to wash the neutralized copper to obtain copper; and   drying the obtained copper with hot air to extract copper.   
     
     
         2 . The copper extraction method of  claim 1 , wherein when the iron is modified into copper in the acidic copper solution loaded in the first reactor, 1 to 40 wt % of copper ions is contained based on 100 wt % of the iron. 
     
     
         3 . The copper extraction method of  claim 1 , wherein when the iron is oxidized in the first reactor, the oxygen at a dissolution rate of 0.001 or greater %/liter is added into the first reactor,
 wherein when the iron is modified in the first reactor, the hydrogen at a dissolution rate of 0.001 or greater %/liter is added into the first reactor.   
     
     
         4 . The copper extraction method of  claim 1 , wherein when the iron is oxidized in the acidic solution in the first reactor, the oxidation reaction temperature is in a range of 0 to 100° C. 
     
     
         5 . A copper extraction apparatus via iron modification, the apparatus comprising:
 a first reactor  100  having a reaction chamber defined therein, wherein an inner wall face of the chamber is made of a fiber reinforced plastic coating for anti-oxidation, wherein a modification of iron into copper occurs in the reaction chamber;   an agitator  108  disposed in the reaction chamber of the first reactor  100  at a bottom center of a chamber wall so as to facilitate copper washing, copper drying, and oxidation and modification reactions, wherein the agitator  108  includes nine blades  960  at three stages;   an opening  110  constructed to penetrate a reaction chamber wall of the first reactor 100, wherein a source iron, copper, acidic solution, and acidic copper solution is charged through the opening  110  into a reaction chamber of the first reactor  100 , and an extracted copper is discharged through the opening  110  out of the first reactor  100 ;   a gas inlet  128  constructed to penetrate the reaction chamber wall of the first reactor  100  so that oxygen and hydrogen are introduced through the gas inlet into the first reactor  100  to promote the oxidation reaction and the modification reaction;   a gas outlet  120  constructed to pass through the reaction chamber wall of the first reactor  100  such that gases generated in the oxidation reaction and modification reaction are discharged through the gas outlet out of the first reactor  100 ;   a washing-water inlet  130  constructed to penetrate the reaction chamber wall of the first reactor  100  so that washing-water for cleaning neutralized copper is injected through the inlet  130  into the reaction chamber of the first reactor  100 ;   a hot and cold air generator  148  attached to the first reactor  100 ;   a cold or hot air inlet  140  constructed to pass through the reaction chamber wall of the first reactor  100  so that cold air or hot air is introduced through the inlet  140  into the reaction chamber to dry extracted copper using cold air or hot air generated by the hot and cold air generator  148 ;   an reaction solution outlet  160  constructed to pass through the reaction chamber wall of the first reactor  100  so that reaction solutions are discharged through the outlet  160  out of the reaction chamber;   a filtering mesh  162  disposed on an inner wall of the reaction chamber to cover the reaction solution outlet  160  to prevent discharge-out of the extracted copper when the reaction solution and impurities are discharged out of the chamber; and   a tilting mount plate  200  mounted on the first reactor  100 .   
     
     
         6 . The copper extraction apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein each of inner and outer shapes of the reactor includes at least one selected from a spherical shape, a tetrahedron shape, an octahedron shape, a dodecahedron shape, and a cuboid shape. 
     
     
         7 . The copper extraction apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the tilting mount plate  200  is capable of being inclined at 5° to 180° relative to a ground such that the copper and the solutions can be easily injected into the chamber through the opening  110 . 
     
     
         8 . The copper extraction apparatus of  claim 5 , further including an evaporator that controls a gas discharged from the gas outlet  120  for discharging the gas generated during the oxidation and modification reaction, and a freezer for compressing the gas. 
     
     
         9 . The copper extraction apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the iron particle has a particle diameter of 0.001 mm to 10 mm.