Abstract
Essentially complete recovery of copper from an oxide ore was obtained in a leaching operation by the U.S. Bureau of Mines using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (edta) as a chelative leachant. The edta was most effective in the form of a trisodium salt. Copper can be recovered as metal from leach solutions by reducing agents such as hydrogen, hcho, and carbon monoxide An integrated technique using na2caedta-nahco3 solution as the copper leachant, with lime as the copper precipitant, was also studied.