The method is similar to the cyanide method above, except sulfuric acid is used to dissolve copper from its ores. The acid is recycled from the solvent extraction circuit (see solvent extraction-electrowinning, SX/EW) and reused on the leach pad. A byproduct is iron(II) sulfate, jarosite, which is produced as a byproduct of leaching pyrite, and sometimes even the same sulfuric acid that is needed for the process.  Both oxide and sulfide ores can be leached, though the leach cycles are much different and sulfide leaching requires a bacterial, or bio-leach, component.
In 2011 leaching, both heap leaching and in-situ leaching, produced 3.4 million metric tons of copper, 22 percent of world production. The largest copper heap leach operations are in Chile, Peru, and the southwestern United States.
Although heap leaching is a low cost-process, it normally has recovery rates of 60-70%. It is normally most profitable with low-grade ores. Higher-grade ores are usually put through more complex milling processes where higher recoveries justify the extra cost. The process chosen depends on the properties of the ore.
The final product is cathode copper.