Abstract:A new recovery technique of copper and cobalt from refractory high-silica cobalt white alloy was studied. Based on leaching thermodynamic analysis, the staged leaching process was proposed for the separation of cobalt from copper. The alloy structure was destabilized greatly and new phases came into being after pretreatment of alkali-roasting and desilication, by which the effective leaching of cobalt and iron could be achieved in the first-stage leaching. The first-stage atmospheric pressure leaching was further optimized. The experimental results show that the leaching rates of both cobalt and iron are all higher than 99% while almost all the copper is kept in the leaching residue. The leaching technique is also proved stable. After the leaching of cobalt, the copper can be highly effectively leached by three-stage counter current continuous atmospheric pressure leaching.