IMPROVEMENTS IN PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING COPPER, SILVER AND GOLD FROM COPPER MATTE OR REGULUS
Year: 1884

page_text: We, WILLIAM ARISTIDES VÉREL, General Manager, and PETER STEWART,
Engineer, to the Tharsis Sulphur and Copper, Company, Limited, of 136 West
George Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain do hereby declare
the nature of our said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING
COPPER, SILVER AND GOLD FROM COPPER MATTE OR REGULUS," to be as follows:-
.Our said Invention relates to the treatment of the matte or regulus resulting
from the smelting of copper ores which are comparatively rich in copper and which
ordinarily contain some silver and occasionally a little gold. What is known as
tho "wet process" has for many years been successfully applied in extracting the
copper, silver, and gold from burnt pyrites, which contains only low per-centages
of copper and minuto quantities of silver and gold; but the matte or regulus has
not hitherto been found suitable for being treated by that process, and it is the
object of the present Invention to overcome the difficulties which have been
experienced and to obtain the copper, and the silver and gold in a satisfactory and
advantageous manuer.
In carrying out the Invention tho matte or regulus is first reduced to an
exceedingly fine state of division preferably by improved grinding apparatus of
the kind described in the Provisional Specification accompanying another appli-
cation for Letters Patent of the same date herewith and in the reduced condition
the matte or regulus mixed in suitable proportions with ordinary burnt pyrites which
has already been mixed with salt and ground in the ordinary way. The mixture
thus prepared is calcined in the furnaces usually employed for the burnt pyrites,
and the calcined materials are subsequently treated as in the well known wet,
process for the separation of the silver and gold and obtainment of the copper.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent,

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Wo, WILLIAM ARISTIDES VÉREL, General Manager, and PETER STEWART,
Engineer to the Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Company, Limited, of 136 West
George Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain do hereby declare
the nature of our said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING
COPPER, SILVER, AND GOLD FROM COPPER MATTE OR REGULUS" and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, that is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to the treatment of the matte or regulus resulting
from the smelting of copper ores which are comparatively rich in copper, and which
ordinarily contain some silver, and occasionally a little gold.
What is known as the "wet process has for many years been successfully
applied in extracting the copper, silver, and gold from burnt pyrites, which contains
only low per centages of copper and minuto quantities of silver and gold; but the
matte or regulus has not hitherto been found suitable for being treated by that
process, and it is the object of the present Invention to overcome the difficulties
which have been experienced, and to obtain the copper, and the silver and gold in
a satisfactory and advantageous manner.
In practically carrying out our Invention the matto or regulus is first reduced
to an exceedingly fine state of division by means of any suitable kind of apparatus
usually employed for crushing, stamping, and reducing such materials; and in this
reduced condition the matte or regulus, after being mixed with about an equal
weight of common salt is, in suitable proportions, added to and incorporated with
ordinary burnt pyrites which has already been mixed with salt and ground in the
ordinary way. As much as 5 or 6 per centum of the matto or regulus may, in this
way be combined with the burnt pyrites. The mixture thus prepared is calcined
in the furnaces usually employed for the burnt pyrites, and the calcined materials
are subsequently treated as in the well known wet process, for the separation of
the silver and gold and obtainment of the copper.
_. Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
The process whereby copper matte or regulus is rendered susceptiblo of profitable
treatment by the wet process for the separation of the silver and gold and
obtainment of the copper, such process consisting in combining a suitable
proportion of the matto or regulus, after having been reduced to a state of fine
division, with burnt pyrites and salt, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this imonty-third day of February 1885.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.