Heap leaching

Definition

Heap leaching is an extraction process used primarily for recovering valuable metals from low-grade ores. It involves piling crushed ore onto a heap and then using a chemical solution to dissolve the desired metals, which are later collected for further processing.

Related terms

Cyanide: Cyanide is often used as a chemical reagent in heap leaching to dissolve precious metals like gold or silver from ores.

Pregnant solution: The pregnant solution refers to the liquid that contains dissolved metals after it has passed through the ore heap during heap leaching.

Tailings:

Tailings are the leftover materials (often containing low concentrations of valuable minerals) that remain after the desired metals have been extracted from an ore during heap leaching.