New Drying Procedure for Decopperized Anode Slimes at Aurubis AG in Hamburg

Peter Stantke

In the course of the construction of the new facility and the resulting expansion of capacities for processing anode slimes, a new concept for drying the leached anode slimes is being utilized in Hamburg for the first time. This involves a membrane filter press that is capable of being heated and evacuated. The advantages of this technology are its energy efficiency, the savings of at least one additional drying unit and the resulting elimination of transport and refilling processes. The slimes are decopperized using the standard procedure of leaching them with sulfuric acid. For the required capacity, a facility was created consisting of 3 lines with one leaching vessel and one cementation vessel each. The leaching vessels are designed for pressure leaching in order to process nickel-bearing slimes as well. While planning the facility, the highest priority was placed on efficiency and availability to fulfill the higher requirements of the downstream smelter. The facility is designed with sufficient capacity to decopperize all of the anode slimes that accumulate in the Aurubis Group and to dry them to a furnace-ready state.