화학공학소재연구정보센터
홈 로그인 로그아웃 연락처 사이트맵
Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol.92, 120-130, December, 2020
DOI10.1016/j.jiec.2020.08.031  Export Citation
An alternative to cyanide leaching of waste activated carbon ash for gold and silver recovery via synergistic dual-lixiviant treatment
Charlie R. Adams, Christopher P. Porter1, Thomas J. Robshaw†, James P. Bezzina, Victoria R. Shields, Alan Hides1, Richard Bruce1, and Mark D. Ogden
  • Separations and Nuclear Chemical Engineering Research (SNUCER), Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sir Robert Hadfield Building, Sheffield, S1 3JD, United Kingdom, UK
  • 1R.S. Bruce Metals & Machinery Ltd., March Street, Sheffield, S9 5DQ, United Kingdom, UK
E-mail:
This study reports the development of a hydrometallurgical treatment for activated carbon ash (ACA); a waste product of the carbon-in-pulp (CIP) process used in the gold mining industry, rich in adsorbed precious metals. After an initial screening of known leaching chemistries, the research focusses on duallixiviant (thiourea and thiocyanate) and thiourea systems, both of which have lower environmental impact than traditional cyanide leaches. Comparing ferric sulfate and hydrogen peroxide as oxidants showed that a thiourea leach is more suited to ferric sulfate whereas the dual-lixiviant leach achieved greater extraction with hydrogen peroxide. This was believed to be due to a more favourable effective [thiourea]:[thiocyanate] molar ratio in solution. The latter demonstrated faster kinetics and improved efficiency for dissolution of gold and silver. However, both leaches had issues with silver extraction due to formation of passivating layers on the surface of the silver nanoparticles. Kinetic modelling showed both systems tended towards a mixed-controlled process. Gold extraction of 89%, with leaching reaching equilibrium within 100 min, using the dual-lixiviant process demonstrated that there is an alternative to cyanide leaches employed in gold recovery.
Keywords:Gold recovery;Leaching;Activated carbon;Waste valorisation;Secondary metal resources
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