The utilisation of heap leaching for the recovery of metals from low grade ores has been in practise, in one form or another, for over a thousand years.  However, it is only relatively recently that this method of metal recovery from ores has been pursued as a stand-alone commercial process.   Heap leaching is currently used for recovery of base metals, predominantly copper, nickel and zinc, precious metals, gold and silver, as well as uranium.  There have been many success stories and similarly many dismal failures in heap leaching.  This paper will examine the past, present and future of heap leaching as the technology continues to mature as a viable alternative for the recovery of important metals.

One person's waste is another person's ore: Heap leaching (past, present, and future)

247th National Meeting (2014)

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