The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-09-02
RYAN PROCESS IN
SMELLING COPPER
is A SYSTEM FOR TEACHING OF
COPPER DIRECT FROM
THE ORE.

This process involves the teaching
of copper direct from the ore, and
electrolytic deposition of the pure
metal from the solution 1t is COW
cred by two patents, one for the
preparation of sulphide ores (and es-
pecially those carrying injurious i'm
purities), for teaching successfully;
and the other for an electrolytic ap-
paratus for rapid and perfect deposit
ton of the metal from the solution
carrying the copper.
At first sight it may seem that an
enormous amount 1f power is re-
quired for this process, but when it
is considered that a plant of this
kind does the work of a roasting
plant, smelter, a converter plant
and an electrolytic refinery all in one
continuous treatment, it will be read
lily seen by those acquainted with the
final treatment of refractory ores,
that the amount of power concen-
trated in one is about the same re-
suit, namely, electrolytic copper, and
the cost of installation of a plant
of the Ryan type will not be as great
as the cost of the combined plants.
Mining men know only too we'll
what difficulties are encountered in
SO many copper districts from bad
and costly transportation.
Many mines, with fair transporta-
tion facilities, could be profit produce
ers, where at the present time they
are worth practically nothing to their
owners. If these mines had a treat
ment that could be placed at the
fTln Il inn
avoiding long and expensive hauls
on 1000 pounds of ore to get few
pounds of copper, then many of these
mines could soon be made dividend
payers for their owners, where at
the present time the ore is too low
grade to pay freight charges. And
again, the mine owner may want to
build a smelter at his mine to avoid
the heavy freight charges, and ship
his matte. But how many of these
mines have the necessary fiuxing ma
terials at hand, and by the time these
are hauled in, as well as coke for
smelling, the mine owner might just
as well haul his ore out.
In remote districts the Ryan pro-
cess comes to the rescue of the mine
owner by giving him a treatment
that can be installed at the mine,
making the refined metal and saving
the long, expensive ore haul, and at
a reasona BILE cost.
j, The plant should be built at or as
near the mine as possible, to save
the cost of handling the ore from the
mine to mill.
When the ore is delivered to the
plant it is crushed dry to the proper
mesh for teaching, ranging from 40
to S0-meSh as a general rule, then
conveyed to a McDougal type roast
err where, by progressive roasting, the
sulphur, arsenic and anthony are
eliminated by volatilization. The ore
is then conveyed to the teaching
tanks, where 6 to 10 per cent solu
ton of sulphuric or sulphurous acid
is added, generally a ton of solution
to a ton of ore, and the process of
lixiviation begins.
When this is completed the solu-
tion is conveyed to the electrolytic
apparatus, when the process of de-
position begins. The solution is kept
in rapid circulation in this apparatus,
which was invented for the particu-
lar purpose, being automatic. When
the copper is quite depleted from the
solution this lot of solution is con-
veyed to a storage tank and fresh
lot of solution enters, making the
process of deposition practically con-
tinuous, and the old lot of solution
is used over again and again as
solvent on fresh lots of o-e.
1t has been demonstrated by care
full work in refining copper that l
ampere of electrical energy deposits
1 ounce of copper in twenty-four
hours, and, on this basis of deposit
ton, the following cost of operating
a plant is considered fully within
the prescribed limits.