Course Description
Hydrometallurgy extracts metals from ores and concentrates using aqueous chemistry — leaching, solution purification, and metal recovery — and is central to the production of gold, copper, uranium, nickel, and the battery metals driving the energy transition. This course develops a comprehensive understanding of hydrometallurgical processes.
Participants learn the fundamentals of leaching chemistry and kinetics, the main leaching methods, solution purification by ion exchange and solvent extraction, and metal recovery by electrowinning and precipitation. The course covers gold, copper, and critical/battery metal applications, equipping metallurgists and process engineers to understand and contribute to hydrometallurgical operations.
What you will achieve
By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the principles of hydrometallurgy
- Understand leaching chemistry and kinetics
- Describe leaching methods (heap, tank, pressure)
- Apply solution purification: ion exchange and solvent extraction
- Understand metal recovery: electrowinning and precipitation
- Understand gold and copper hydrometallurgy
- Understand critical and battery metal processing
- Address hydrometallurgical waste and environmental management
How the course is delivered
The course combines hydrometallurgical theory with practical process examples across gold, copper, and critical metals. Participants work through leaching, purification, and recovery scenarios using realistic operational examples.
The programme balances aqueous chemistry understanding with the practical operation of hydrometallurgical processes, including the battery metals central to the energy transition.
Designed for
This training course is ideal for:
- Metallurgists and process engineers
- Hydrometallurgy and extraction specialists
- Plant operators and technical staff
- Professionals in gold, copper, and battery metals
- Anyone in metal extraction
Daily programme
- Principles of hydrometallurgy
- Aqueous chemistry basics
- Leaching chemistry and kinetics
- Process mineralogy for leaching
- Heap and dump leaching
- Tank and agitated leaching
- Pressure leaching (autoclaves)
- Gold and copper leaching
- Ion exchange
- Solvent extraction (SX)
- Solution purification circuits
- Impurity management
- Electrowinning
- Precipitation and cementation
- Critical and battery metal processing
- Waste management and workshop
Certification & accreditation
BII Certificate of Completion
BII Certificate of Completion Upon successful completion, participants receive a BII Development Institute Certificate of Completion with a unique reference code that is independently verifiable. Our certificates are recognised internationally and reflect successful completion of your chosen programme.
