Abstract: The improvement in the process for recovering zinc from ferrites which includes treating electrolytic zinc plants residues with a sulfuric acid solution to dissolve the zinc and metals, a solution resulting which contains sulphates of zinc and the other dissolved metals. The undissolved residue is separated in a certain manner from the solution. The solids-free solution is neutralized in a second step with calcine or another neutralizing agent containing zinc until a certain acidity is reached so that the iron remaining in solution separates therefrom in the form of its complex basic sulfate. The solids are settled out and then sent to a neutralization step, which is part of the residue separation scheme, where they are used as seeds of crystals of complex basic sulfate of iron which helps to remove iron in the first neutralization step. This final solution is added to the normal circuit or process flow path of electrolytic zinc plants. Any Fe.sup.+.sup.

Abstract: A flotation process for recovering lead and silver values from electrolytic zinc residues is disclosed.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a process for reclaiming silver and lead by flotation in products containing oxidized lead such as lead sulfate. More particularly, the present flotation process is for recovering silver and lead contained in the residue from electrolytic zinc production using either zinc concentrates or complex concentrates as the raw material.By zinc concentrates we consider those commonly accepted as such, that is, those in which the zinc concentration is sufficiently high to allow their reclaiming by electrolysis.Complex concentrates are those obtained by bulk flotation of complex sulphide ores, those commonly called "middlings" in a selective flotation of same or other similar ones. Analysis of these concentrates gives values which usually vary according to the following figures : 10-45% Zn; 3-40% Pb; 0-25% Cu; 0-5,000 gr/m.t. Ag; 5-30% Fe.