Heap leaching
Definition
Heap leaching is an extraction process used primarily for recovering valuable metals from low-grade ores. It involves piling crushed ore onto a heap and then using a chemical solution to dissolve the desired metals, which are later collected for further processing.
Analogy
Imagine making a cup of tea by placing a tea bag in hot water. The water slowly seeps through the tea leaves, extracting the flavors and colors. Similarly, in heap leaching, the chemical solution percolates through the ore heap, dissolving valuable metals.
Related terms
Cyanide: Cyanide is often used as a chemical reagent in heap leaching to dissolve precious metals like gold or silver from ores.
Pregnant solution: The pregnant solution refers to the liquid that contains dissolved metals after it has passed through the ore heap during heap leaching.
Tailings: Tailings are the leftover materials (often containing low concentrations of valuable minerals) that remain after the desired metals have been extracted from an ore during heap leaching.
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