THE CONCEPT OF OBTAINING METALS BY LEACHING
The article features the present state of Russian mineral resources base in the conditions of formation of market relations. It justifies the direction of involvement in waste processing of mineral raw materials as a compensation of deficit metals. The study reveals some drawbacks of the traditional technologies of metal ore processing to ensure waste-free production. The authors have formulated the advantages of the technology of underground leaching of metals from ores in parts of waste products of extraction of metals. They describe the results of experimental and industrial application of the technology of underground leaching of metals out of balance and off-balance natural and man-made reserves of ore and tailings as in the case of uranium-mining enterprises in Central Asia, North Caucasus and Transbaikalia. The description involves a quantitative assessment of options for leaching. The article also describes the practice of industrial use of the leaching technologies in the development of the Streltsovsk deposits since the 1980s, with increase of specific weight of technology in the total production of uranium up to 1/3. It contains a technological scheme of underground and heap leaching of metals within a single industrial complex, as well as a detailed technology of metal extraction into solution in the heaps. The authors describe a new practice of monitoring the completeness of the leaching by opening workings and applied to the autopsy of intensification of the processes of leaching. They propose an algorithm of calculation of parameters of the leaching on the basis of established regularities of the processes of extraction of metals. The article introduces the phenomenon of changes in the properties of minerals during disintegrator processing. The authors state the role of the crushing and uniform placement of ore fragmented in providing filtration solutions without the formation of dry zones. They describe some prospects of recovering metals from tailings associated with the use of various leaching methods, increasing the resource base of the mining industry due to involvement in the production of non-conforming to traditional technology stocks. They prove the efficiency of mechanochemical activation of nonconforming raw materials from leaching into the disintegrator. It is concluded that research on mountain aspects of leaching and development of scientific bases and methods of its implementation are the most important tasks of mining production.