Patent ID: 7964015

Claim:
An improved process for the recovery of metal from a metal-containing ore, soil or rock, comprising the steps of: a) selecting a metal-containing ore; b) crushing the metal-containing ore to form a powder; c) conveying the powder to a mixing vat; d) adding an amount of a three-component lixiviant that consists of: d-i) a liquid that is not an irritant or deleterious to humans and the environment, prepared by a process of combining a high purity acid selected from at least one of phosphoric acid, fumaric acid or acetic acid with water selected from at least one of deionized water and filtered water and an ammonium compound selected from at least one of anhydrous ammonia and buffered ammonium nitrate used in a ratio of approximately 1 lb, to approximately 5 lbs, of ammonium compound per gallon of water, heating the mixture to approximately 140° F. to form mixture (I), placing mixture (I) in a pressurized vessel and heating the mixture to temperatures in a range between approximately 250° F. and approximately 400° F., then cooling the mixture, after the mixture is cooled, adding a stabilizing amount of the starting mixture (I) forming a low pH acid (LpHAC) product that is not an irritant, d-ii) a metal salt selected from at least one of potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate, calcium chloride, calcium sulfate, manganese chloride, manganese sulfate, sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, ammonium chloride, ammonium sulfate, ammonium bisulfate, and d-iii) water selected from at least one of fresh water, sea water, brine, and a mixture thereof to form an aqueous metal extracting lixiviant; e) forming a slurry of the metal containing ore powder and metal extracting lixiviant; f) extracting metals from the slurry to form a pregnant liquid and a solid residue; g) conveying the pregnant liquid and solid residue to a solid/liquid separator; h) removing solids from the pregnant liquid and solid residue of step f); i) directing the pregnant liquid of step g) to a metal recovery unit; and j) collecting between approximately 85% to approximately 97% of total metal in the ore.