Abstract:Copper was recovered from complex oxide ore in Zambia by heap leaching. However, high prevalent rainfall and ore fines, and easy argillization, bring about difficulty of percolation of irrigation solution through heap pad, continuous production is not reliable with instability of stockpile slope. Implementation of technological innovations makes it possible to ensure continuous production with remarkable productivity. Copper recovery improved from 66.41% to 77.90% with 5.9 percent points higher than the design value and increase of copper production by 3 000 tonnes per annum. Sulfuric acid consumption drops from 4.61 t/t to 2.87 t/t copper. The overall cost of one ton copper reduces $200 and irrigation period reduces from 695 days to 407 days. Leaching efficiency is improved greatly.