3
RECOVERY OF TE FROM COPPER
CONCENTRATION TAILINGS
According to the available literature, Te minerals are pres-
ent in nature associated with sulfide minerals as micron or
submicron inclusions [27]. The enrichment of Te miner-
als might increase in the concentrates during the process-
ing of the raw copper sulfide ores, or they could be lost
to the tailings. If Te is found in copper sulfide minerals, it
could be captured using selective chemical reagents, which
may recover significant amount of Te minerals in the cop-
per concentrate. On the other hand, if the Te is found in
gangue minerals such as pyrite, it would end up in tailings
as pyrite is depressed in the flotation process of copper ores.
The behavior of Te minerals through the initial separation
processes of copper sulfide ores is influenced by various fac-
tors, including the liberation degree, surface characteristics,
and chemistry of the flotation pulp [28].
Although, few studies investigated Te concentration in
copper ore deposits, the distribution of Te minerals within
the tailing streams in a copper processing plant is poorly
understood. Yano [29] discovered a correlation between Te
concentration and the concentrations of Ag, Bi, Pb, and
Au and described that Te is present in chalcopyrite in the
form of telluride mineral nanoparticles. Reich [30] identi-
fied trace amounts of Te (approximately 5 ppm) associated
with pyrite in a porphyry copper deposit.
The only published research that quantified Te concen-
tration in copper processing tailings implied that the lost
Te, Au, and Ag minerals were mostly hosted as micro-inclu-
sions (less than 10 μm) in pyrite grains that were depressed
during the bulk flotation of copper sulfides [31]. The major
Te bearing minerals in processing tailings were tetradymite
(Bi2Te2S), petzite (Ag3AuTe), hessite (Ag2T), goldfieldite
(Cu12(Te,Sb,As)4S13), Altaite ((Bi,Pb)Te), and cervellite
(Ag4TeS). Tetradymite was the main Te-bearing mineral
which often coexisted with chalcopyrite and pyrite [31].
The images acquired using TESCAN Integrated Mineral
Analyzer (TIMA) illustrated that the pyrite particles con-
tain several inclusions of petzite, hessite, goldfieldite, and
bornite (Figure 2). Since Te is associated with Au, Ag min-
erals, it is beneficial to develop economically feasible pro-
cesses that enhance the simultaneous recovery of Te, Au,
and Ag from these resources. Using new reagents, modifica-
tion of the process flowsheet and the optimization of tech-
nological parameters may help recover Te from the tailings.
Re-processing of these tailings provides one avenue to meet
Te demand and aligns with the drive to transform the min-
ing industry into a circular economy system.
Although there are some investigations on the recovery
of Te from Te-bearing ores or Te-bearing gold concentrates
[32, 33], there is no study on the recovery of Te from copper
sulfide tailings. Wei et al., [33] conducted a comprehensive
study on the recovery of valuable elements from telluride-
type gold and silver deposits (Xiaoqinling, China). They
acquired tellurium-gold-silver mixed concentrates through
one rougher, two cleaning, and two scavenging flotations
steps. Isoamyl xanthate and ethyl thiocarbamate (1:1, 120
g/t) were used in the flotation process. The resulting con-
centrate contained Te, Au, and Ag, with average grades
of 241, 90, and 92 g/t, respectively. The recoveries were
notably high, reaching 95% for Te, 97% for Au, and 94%
for Ag. Despite these achievements, additional research is
required to investigate the separation of Te from precious
metals.
RECOVERY OF TE FROM ANODE SLIMES
Most of the Te is produced exclusively as by-products of
pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical treatment of
copper concentrate. The smelting process of copper sulfide
concentrate is divided into several stages, such as smelting,
converting, dust and slag treatment, refining and electro-
refining [34]. The first four steps are pyrometallurgical
operations and the final one is an electrochemical/hydro-
metallurgical process. The initial stage of the smelting
process involves heating the concentrate to temperatures
exceeding 1200°C in the flash furnace, accompanied by
the presence of oxygen gas and silica minerals. The reaction
between silicates and iron oxide produces an iron-rich slag
(Fe2SiO4), which is then removed, leading to the creation
of low-iron copper matte.
The copper-rich matte is subsequently transferred to
a converter furnace, where it undergoes further oxidation
to facilitate the continued separation of copper from iron
and sulfur. The resulting blister copper is then subjected
to treatment in an anode furnace using a non-oxidizing
Figure 2. (A) A Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) image
showing pyrite grains that host several micro inclusions of
Te minerals like petzite (Ptz), hessite (AgTe), goldfieldite
(Glfd), bornite (Bn), and a bismuth-lead grain. (B) High
magnification SEM image of an inclusion that contain
petzite, goldfieldite, and hodrushite (Hdt) [31].
RECOVERY OF TE FROM COPPER
CONCENTRATION TAILINGS
According to the available literature, Te minerals are pres-
ent in nature associated with sulfide minerals as micron or
submicron inclusions [27]. The enrichment of Te miner-
als might increase in the concentrates during the process-
ing of the raw copper sulfide ores, or they could be lost
to the tailings. If Te is found in copper sulfide minerals, it
could be captured using selective chemical reagents, which
may recover significant amount of Te minerals in the cop-
per concentrate. On the other hand, if the Te is found in
gangue minerals such as pyrite, it would end up in tailings
as pyrite is depressed in the flotation process of copper ores.
The behavior of Te minerals through the initial separation
processes of copper sulfide ores is influenced by various fac-
tors, including the liberation degree, surface characteristics,
and chemistry of the flotation pulp [28].
Although, few studies investigated Te concentration in
copper ore deposits, the distribution of Te minerals within
the tailing streams in a copper processing plant is poorly
understood. Yano [29] discovered a correlation between Te
concentration and the concentrations of Ag, Bi, Pb, and
Au and described that Te is present in chalcopyrite in the
form of telluride mineral nanoparticles. Reich [30] identi-
fied trace amounts of Te (approximately 5 ppm) associated
with pyrite in a porphyry copper deposit.
The only published research that quantified Te concen-
tration in copper processing tailings implied that the lost
Te, Au, and Ag minerals were mostly hosted as micro-inclu-
sions (less than 10 μm) in pyrite grains that were depressed
during the bulk flotation of copper sulfides [31]. The major
Te bearing minerals in processing tailings were tetradymite
(Bi2Te2S), petzite (Ag3AuTe), hessite (Ag2T), goldfieldite
(Cu12(Te,Sb,As)4S13), Altaite ((Bi,Pb)Te), and cervellite
(Ag4TeS). Tetradymite was the main Te-bearing mineral
which often coexisted with chalcopyrite and pyrite [31].
The images acquired using TESCAN Integrated Mineral
Analyzer (TIMA) illustrated that the pyrite particles con-
tain several inclusions of petzite, hessite, goldfieldite, and
bornite (Figure 2). Since Te is associated with Au, Ag min-
erals, it is beneficial to develop economically feasible pro-
cesses that enhance the simultaneous recovery of Te, Au,
and Ag from these resources. Using new reagents, modifica-
tion of the process flowsheet and the optimization of tech-
nological parameters may help recover Te from the tailings.
Re-processing of these tailings provides one avenue to meet
Te demand and aligns with the drive to transform the min-
ing industry into a circular economy system.
Although there are some investigations on the recovery
of Te from Te-bearing ores or Te-bearing gold concentrates
[32, 33], there is no study on the recovery of Te from copper
sulfide tailings. Wei et al., [33] conducted a comprehensive
study on the recovery of valuable elements from telluride-
type gold and silver deposits (Xiaoqinling, China). They
acquired tellurium-gold-silver mixed concentrates through
one rougher, two cleaning, and two scavenging flotations
steps. Isoamyl xanthate and ethyl thiocarbamate (1:1, 120
g/t) were used in the flotation process. The resulting con-
centrate contained Te, Au, and Ag, with average grades
of 241, 90, and 92 g/t, respectively. The recoveries were
notably high, reaching 95% for Te, 97% for Au, and 94%
for Ag. Despite these achievements, additional research is
required to investigate the separation of Te from precious
metals.
RECOVERY OF TE FROM ANODE SLIMES
Most of the Te is produced exclusively as by-products of
pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical treatment of
copper concentrate. The smelting process of copper sulfide
concentrate is divided into several stages, such as smelting,
converting, dust and slag treatment, refining and electro-
refining [34]. The first four steps are pyrometallurgical
operations and the final one is an electrochemical/hydro-
metallurgical process. The initial stage of the smelting
process involves heating the concentrate to temperatures
exceeding 1200°C in the flash furnace, accompanied by
the presence of oxygen gas and silica minerals. The reaction
between silicates and iron oxide produces an iron-rich slag
(Fe2SiO4), which is then removed, leading to the creation
of low-iron copper matte.
The copper-rich matte is subsequently transferred to
a converter furnace, where it undergoes further oxidation
to facilitate the continued separation of copper from iron
and sulfur. The resulting blister copper is then subjected
to treatment in an anode furnace using a non-oxidizing
Figure 2. (A) A Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) image
showing pyrite grains that host several micro inclusions of
Te minerals like petzite (Ptz), hessite (AgTe), goldfieldite
(Glfd), bornite (Bn), and a bismuth-lead grain. (B) High
magnification SEM image of an inclusion that contain
petzite, goldfieldite, and hodrushite (Hdt) [31].