Specialty Metals Plant

Residues from the Oxide Leaching Plant second leach are releached with sulphuric acid to dissolve the contained germanium and indium. After filtration, the clear solution is processed in a solvent extraction unit where both metals are recovered and subsequently reprecipitated to a product for further purification. Each metal product is reprocessed into a product suitable for various customers. This plant can produce 28 t/a.

Cominco is one of two Canadian producers of indium. In the picture at right, an operator pours 99.999 percent pure ingots. Indium is used in the electronics industry.