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By M. Abdollahy

In this paper, the hydrophobicity of chalcopyrite particles produced with different laboratory mills has been studied; different grinding mechanism in themills made some changes in particles shape, Image Analysis (IA) method was used to determine the shape properties of chalcopyrite particles which are ground by a laboratory ball mill, rod mill and ceramic ball mill. The shape characters are stated in terms of shape factors such as circularity, convexity, roundness and regularity factor. Hallimond tube was used to float chalcopyrite particles followed by determination of critical surface tension of particles, this parameter used as a criterion to study the wetting behavior of chalcopyrite particles. The correlation between shape properties and critical surface tension of chalcopyrite particles showed that the hydrophobicity of chalcopyrite was affected by the shape. Investigations showed that the circular, round and more convex particles that produced with ceramic ball mill had lower hydrophobicity with higher critical surface tension (?c). The results also showed that the hydrophobicity of particles ground by ball and rod mills increased with the decrease of roundness, circularity, convexity and regularity factor of particles. Keywords: chalcopyrite, particle morphology, flotation, image analysis system, micro flotation method, hydrophobicity, shape properties

Sep 1, 2012

By John A. Herbst, Ming Song, Xiangjun Qiu

It has been known for sometime that as wear occurs in tumbling mills there is an associated change in mill throughput. These changes have traditionally been simplistically, attributed to “mill volume effects”. New high fidelity simulation tools (involving DEM, CFD and Breakage models) are now giving new “microscale” insights into the complex interactions that occur between evolving lifter/liner profiles and breakage. The study described here shows that these new tools can allow the design of wear part profiles which will maximize mill productivity over the entire life of a liner/lifter system.

Jan 1, 2003

By Y. J. Ferdosi

This paper presents the outcomes of the preliminary investigation focused on the potential usage of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) in minerals processing. Currently, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy has been successfully employed in the characterization of multilayer structures formed as molecules adsorb on flat surfaces and is commonly used in bio-related research. Few studies have explored the application of EIS in minerals processing, particularly for mineral particles and flotation systems. In the first series of tests, the impedance response was investigated as a function of particle size, shape and hydrophobicity using model quartz particles. The particle size fractions and the shape were found to contribute to the impedance response. The more hydrophobic quartz particles resulted in a higher impedance values. Further tests involved pure sulfide minerals including chalcocite, bornite, chalcopyrite and pyrite. The AC impedance measurements were conducted as a function of collector (sodium ethyl xanthate) dosage. The AC Impedance data was modeled using the combination of reference circuits. It has been shown that adsorption of collector onto sulfide minerals surfaces results in a higher magnitude of impedance. Increasing the collector dosage resulted in an increase in AC impedance for chalcopyrite, while a decrease was observed for chalcocite. Significant variations in impedance were exhibited by bornite and pyrite with a gradual increase in collector dosage.

Sep 1, 2012

By Z. Y. Ma, M. D. Liu, Z. Z. Liu, J. K. Zhou

"An optimization method of microwave assisted leaching of copper anode slime was proposed based on Taguchi method. The results showed that the solid-liquid ratio was the most important factor affecting SNR(signal noise ratio) of the copper, tellurium and selenium leaching efficiencies, and its contributions to the copper, tellurium and selenium leaching efficiencies were 58.34%, 55.54% and 60.74%, respectively. Solid-liquid ratio was a significant factor to SNR(copper, tellurium and selenium). Reaction period was a less significant factor to SNR(copper and tellurium) and concentration of sulphuric acid was a less significant factor to SNR(selenium) while microwave power was an non-significant factor, its contributions to the copper, tellurium and selenium efficiencies were 3.22%, 11.73% and 12.73%, respectively. The optimized parameters of the microwave assisted leaching of copper were as follow: microwave power of 500 W, reaction period of 10 min, solid-liquid ratio of 0.10 g·mL-1 and H2SO4 concentration of 1.0 mol·L-1. The optimized parameters of the microwave assisted leaching of tellurium and selenium were as follow: microwave power of 800 W, reaction period of 15 min, solid-liquid ratio of 0.10 g·mL-1 and H2SO4 concentration of 1.0 mol·L-1. The validation experiments under the optimized conditions has been carried out, the copper, tellurium and selenium leaching efficiencies were 98.66%, 84.32% and 64.54%, respectively. INTRODUCTION As important valuable by-products, copper anode slimes are collected from the bottom of the electrolytic bath in the electrolytic copper refining process(Kilic, 2013). The value of the anode slime is determined by the content of rare metals and precious metals(Liu, 2014). Generally, pretreatment of copper anode slime is the first stage of the whole process. The aim of the pretreatment process is to remove Cu, Te and Se etc and enrich the valuable metals. The methods of pretreatment process can be differentiated into: pyrometallurgical processing and hydrometallurgical processing(Amer, 2003). The hydrometallurgical processes are more promising compared to pyrometallurgical processes in terms of cost effectiveness, low energy consumption and environmental concerns(Ranjbar, 2014). However, the disadvantages of the hydrometallurgy process are evident, such as lengthy processing times and low efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a highly efficient and environmentally friendly pretreatment method."

Jan 1, 2018

By Lei Pan, Roe-Hoan Yoon

"Direct force measurement for bubble-particle interaction has been difficult due to bubble deformation, which makes it difficult to know the separation distances between the two macroscopic surfaces. In the present work, we have developed a method of monitoring the deformation accurately, while directly measuring the interaction forces. In effect, we can ‘see’ bubbles interacting with mineral surfaces under different hydrodynamic and chemical conditions and determine both the hydrodynamic and surface forces involved. In the present work, a high-speed camera has been used to record the optical interference fringes of a thin liquid film (TLF) of water formed on a mineral surface. The recorded fringes are then used to reconstruct the spatiotemporal profiles, from which one can determine the hydrodynamic pressure using the Reynolds lubrications theory. From the forces directly measured in the present work and the hydrodynamic pressures obtained from the fringes, we have determined the disjoining pressure. The results show that air bubbles interacting with hydrophilic surfaces form stable TLFs with zero contact angles. The TLF formed on a hydrophobic surface thins fast, form a ‘pimpled’ film, and ruptures to form a finite contact angle. The new information obtained in the present work may be useful to better understand the role of hydrodynamic and surface forces affecting bubble-particle interactions."

Jan 1, 2014

By Nina Panteleeva, Elena Afonina, Stanislav Titkov, Jury Buksha

"Flotation processing of water-soluble minerals (potassium ores, sedimentary salts of salt lakes) is currently the main method for production of potassium fertilizers and concentrated carnallite which is the initial product for production of metallic magnesium. Flotation of sylvite (KCl) and halite (NaCl) is carried out in the electrolyte solutions: KCl-NaCl-H2O and KCl-NaCl-MgCl2-H2O. The report presents the results of studies of the effect of concentration and the electrolyte type on the size of air bubbles in a flotation cell in comparison with the floatability of mineral constituents of potash ores. The floatability in electrolytes of various compositions has been studied: - of sylvite (KCl) by alkylamines, - of halite (NaCl) by alkylmorpholines, - of silicate-carbonate slimes contained in the ore by ethoxylated surfactants. The reagent modes (regimes) activating the flotation desliming of potash ores have been developed."

Jan 1, 2014

By Massimiliano Zanin, William Skinner, Owusu Clement, Jonas Addai-Mensah, Daniel Fornasiero

This paper highlights the importance of pulp aeration in the selective separation of chalcopyrite from chalcopyrite/pyrite mixtures of varying pyrite content (20-80 wt.%). Laboratory batch flotation studies and oxygen demand tests were performed to predict the optimum amount of air required for the selective separation of chalcopyrite from pyrite. The pulp oxygen demand was shown to increase with increasing pyrite content but decrease with time as more air is introduced into the system. Complementary batch flotation tests showed significant improvement in chalcopyrite flotation under moderate pre-aeration of the pulp. However, a continuous decrease of chalcopyrite flotation was observed under highly aerated conditions. The amount of air required to achieve maximum chalcopyrite flotation recovery correlated positively with the mass fraction of pyrite in the pulps. The greater the wt.% of pyrite in the chalcopyrite/pyrite pulp, the longer the aeration time required. The optimum aeration time was established as the time before which the oxygen consumption rate constant reaches a bottom plateau. Surface analysis (XPS) indicated that the continuous decrease in pyrite recovery observed with increasing aeration time was due to the formation of more iron oxy/hydroxide on its surfaces, the same species accounting for the decrease in Cp recovery after prolonged aeration.

Jan 1, 2014

By H. Tiefel, M. Schneider, T. Neesse, J. Regler, J. Dueck, F. Donhauser

In practice the advantages of high-quality hydrocyclone separation are often reduced due to varying feed suspension properties, solids concentrations and particle size distributions. Control systems of large hydrocyclones are usually fitted with controllable underflow nozzles, which is not practical for small hydrocyclone batteries. Therefore, a new control system for a battery of hydrocyclones with a nominal diameter of 150 mm was invented at the LUR in cooperation with AKW Apparate und Verfahren GmbH & Co. KG. This process was developed for bentonite slurry regeneration associated with tunnel excavation using bentonite slurry as a transport aid and lubricant.

Jan 1, 2003

Opportunities to monitor and control primary grinding mill performance are strongly sought after in the mineral processing industry. Currently, limited on-line information about mill charge motion and content is available to mill operations for control purposes, leading to periods of lower throughput, instability, variable product size and accelerated mill liner and lifter wear. In response to this need, CSIRO has developed an on-line surface vibration monitor for primary grinding mills which produces data that has been shown to provide new information about the mill charge in terms of toe and shoulder position, as well as potentially key features such as the overall charge level, the distribution between rock and balls in the mill, and the impact of the charge on the mill liners and lifters. This paper outlines the key features of the on-line monitor system, particularly those relating to data transmission, data analysis, and the design of the monitor and its independent power supply. It describes the coupling of single vibration sensor data from the CSIRO on-line monitor to the actual operating conditions of a SAG mill and how the vibration response and hence mill operating conditions vary as a function of time, including during mill equipment failures such as a broken discharge grate. Opportunities for improved mill control based on the data from the on-line monitor are also discussed, as well as the implications in terms of mill processing and maintenance performance. Recently a CSIRO monitor was also installed on a ROM ball mill and analysis of the vibration sensor data from this installation is currently underway. Preliminary findings from this installation will be presented along with comparisons of generic information, such as toe position (measurement precision and operation variability) and vibration signal (intensity, sensitivity and operation variability), between this type of primary grinding mill and AG/SAG mills.

Sep 1, 2012

By Ghislain Bournival, Seher Ata, Graeme J. Jameson

A common method to prevent bubbles from coalescing in a flotation cell is by the addition of surfactants, called frothers. The gas dispersion properties in a column were tested for solutions of 1-pentanol, tri(propylene glycol) methyl ether, and poly(propylene glycol) in the presence of sodium chloride. The dependency of surfactant on the gas holdup can be divided into regions. It seemed that for a sufficiently low concentration of surfactant, even a stronger surfactant could show a transition in gas holdup from constant/decreasing to increasing with concentration. This region, however, was not marked by a decrease in the average bubble size. In addition, PPG gave higher gas holdup values while averaging larger bubbles. On the other hand, sodium chloride mostly affected the gas holdup when the concentration was high enough to prevent bubble coalescence. Another parameter affecting the gas holdup was the superficial gas velocity. A linear dependency was found between the two under a bubbly flow regime. The current study showed that both surfactants and salt could slightly affect the influence of the superficial gas velocity on the gas holdup.

Jan 1, 2014

By S. Vimalnath

The bioremediation capability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells was investigated for the biosorption of lead ions from aqueous solution. The various parameters such as pH, kinetics, biomass loading and concentration of lead affecting the biosorption process were studied. Complete bio removal of lead could be achieved for an initial concentration of 12.4 mg/L at pH 6.2, corresponding to typical industrial effluents. The biosorption isotherm followed Langmuirian behavior and the Gibbs free energy (?G) was determined to be-30.8 kJ/mole, indicative of chemisorption between the functional groups of the bacterial surface and lead. The biosorption kinetics adhered to a pseudo-second order model. The possible mechanisms of interaction of lead with the bacterial cells are discussed. A carbon paste electrode with a coating of biomass was developed for lead ion detection in aqueous solution using cyclic voltammetric technique. Concentrations of lead up to 5x10-5 M could be successfully detected using cyclic voltammetry, which could be improved to a detection limit of 1x10-8 M adopting differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). Keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, bioremediation, lead, voltammetry

Sep 1, 2012

By P. Latostenmaa, T. Hailemariam, M. Lundström, P. Halli

Doré process is unique way to treat precious metals in the copper electrorefining plant, since it uses anode slime as a raw material. In this pyrometallurgical process, also slag is produced together with Doré metal. However, the process is never ideal, and a part of metal is always lost into the slag. By using Doré slag as raw material for simply mineral acid leaching, some of the lost elements can be extracted and recovered, thus, increasing the sustainability and keeping metals in the circular economy loop. The Doré process itself is developed to convert almost all precious metals and PGMs in the Doré metal, leaving other elements into the slag fraction. The Doré slag consist of slag formers, such as borax and silica based minerals, but contain also traces of sealing materials. In addition, the Doré slag is rich in metals present in the anode slime, such as Cu, Bi and Sb, which are not converted into the Doré metal. There are only few published applications at the precious metal plants, where conservative grinding and flotation circuits have been utilized for the enrichment of valuable metals present in the Doré slag fraction (Godbehere, P.W., 1983; Segawa, C. and Kusakabe, T., 1996). However, the present study shows an alternative approach for the recovery of metals present in the Doré slag by hydometallurgical approach. The study focus on direct mineral acid (aqua regia) leaching of metals present in the Doré slag. The initial dissolved concentrations of Cu, Bi and Sb from Doré slag in the temperature range of 30-50 °C under oxygen purging with addition of 1 vol-% of H2O2 are presented. Chemical and mineralogical analyses were performed for the raw material, leaching residue, and leaching solutions in order to ascertain the leaching behavior of the metals of Bi, Cu and Sb.

Jan 1, 2018

By S. J. Neethling

"Liberation is a key driver in all mineral separation processes as it limits the maximum possible grade for a given recovery. In flotation, this is further complicated by the fact that it is surface exposure of the floatable minerals that determines the ultimate performance. Liberation, grade and surface exposure are commonly quantified using Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled to Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) analysis of polished sections. The intrinsically 2D nature of this technique can result in significant sampling errors and stereological effects that can affect the quantification of the ore’s textural characteristics. X-ray micro-Tomography (XMT) is an imaging method that can non-invasively and non-destructively delineate ore fragments in 3D, thus providing an alternative method that eliminates the need for stereological corrections and readily provides surface exposure. A methodology and automated algorithm were designed for extracting this information from images of closely packed particles, thus allowing samples containing a large number of particles to be assessed.The main drawback of XMT is that, unlike SEM/EDX, it cannot directly measure the mineralogy of the sample, instead producing a 3D X-ray attenuation map. We therefore also present an algorithm for calibrating the thresholding of the XMT images based on SEM/EDX images of sections through the same sample, thus allowing the liberation analysis to be carried out on a 3D mineral map in which the uncertainty in the mineral assignment is small and statistically quantified.The methodology was tested on low grade porphyry copper ore as this is both an industrially relevant and traditionally difficult system to quantify using XMT due to the similarity in the X-ray attenuation of the sulphide species, especially the pyrite and chalcopyrite. As each 3D volume imaged contain 100-1000s of grains, large data sets can be readily produced. By dividing these particles into classes based on both their surface exposure and grade, the extent to which there is preferential breakage of the particles can be assessed—an important consideration if sufficient surface liberation for good flotation performance is to be achieved at coarser particle sizes. It is also shown that erroneous conclusions can be drawn when basing the analysis on 2D sections through the particles."

Jan 1, 2018

By Jacek Kolacz

A new sensor based sorting system related to complex image analysis has been developed at Comex AS - Norway. It makes it possible to separate different mineral particles regarding their color, shape, texture, size, density and indirectly their composition. The sorting system has been successfully tested and applied for sorting minerals providing high separation efficiency in the range of 95-99.9 %. The main advantage of this system is connected with its universality where many material parameters are analyzed in the same processing unit by a single passage.

Sep 1, 2012

By William Skinner, Jonas Addai-Mensah, Keith Quast, David Robinson, Jason Connor

A review of the laboratory- and pilot plant-scale physical separation techniques for the beneficiation of nickel (Ni) laterites shows limited efficacy. To date, the only upgrade technique adopted commercially, prior to hydrometallurgical processing of Ni laterites, is the removal of a barren, coarse size fraction in the feed by classification. In the present work we investigated two low grade (~ 1%), goethite-rich Ni laterite ores’ upgrading by magnetic separation, attritioning/coarse, (lower Ni-grade) gangue rejection and flotation techniques. Low intensity (0.1T) dry magnetic separation at ambient temperature of raw samples and those pre-heated at temperatures up to 450 °C showed evidence of pay metal Co and Mn bearing asbolane and/or lithiophorite minerals pre-concentration in the magnetic fractions. Ni distribution, however, did not show any noticeable magnetic upgrade but followed the weight distribution. Other ore pre-treatment methods (e.g., desliming and sulphidisation) followed by froth flotation with anionic and cationic reagents also led to noticeable (~35%) Ni upgrade. This is due to the deportment of Ni across several gangue host mineral phases (i.e. Fe oxide/hydroxide and a range of silicate/aluminosilicate minerals). From chemical analysis, after disaggregation of ~ 1% Ni grade feed ore, coarse (-600 + 38 µm) and fine (-38 µm) fractions of ~0.6% and 1.3% Ni grades respectively, were also produced, suggesting that a significant upgrade in Ni content can be achieved by rejecting the + 38 µm fraction with the loss of <40% of the Ni. The ore mineralogy, particularly the complexity and high number of un-liberated Ni-bearing phases, greatly compromises physical separation methods for these ores, with the possible exception of screening after disaggregation of the fines inherent in the run of mine ores.

Jan 1, 2014

By Shibayama A.

In this research, an investigation of a process to selectively remove arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) contained in enargite (Cu3AsS4) and tennantite/tetrahedrite ((Cu1,Fe)12(As,Sb)4S13) copper resources by leaching and precipitation were performed. First in the leaching process, the target was to selectively leach As/Sb and reduce their contents in the ores to <0.5 wt% followed by a second process to remove As/Sb dissolved in solution for environmental control. Enargite ore contained 3.65 wt% As while tennantite/tetrahedrite ore contained 5.40 wt% As and 4.85 wt% Sb. Alkaline leaching using NaHS?NaOH media at varying experimental conditions (temperature, pulp density, time, reagent concentrations) were performed to investigate the process. As/Sb precipitation studies were also performed to control high As/Sb concentrations in leach solutions by using elemental sulphur (So). Results from leaching studies showed that over 99% of As/Sb in the impure copper ores can be removed and their contents in the final solids reduced to <0.5 wt%. It was also established that such very high leaching could be achieved at 80°C within 1?6 h and pulp densities as high as 1000 g/L. The study also revealed that leach solution containing very high As/Sb concentration ranging from 5 to 20 g/L can be used as fresh solution for leaching of fresh ores until concentrations exceeding 35 g/L when it was sent to precipitation circuit for As/Sb removal. Addition of elemental sulphur at 90°C and fast cooling to 30°C allowed over 60% As/Sb precipitation and removed as Na3AsS4 and solution with reduced As/Sb concentration to leaching circuit for continuous use. Keywords: Enargite; Tennantite/Tetrahedrite; Selective Leaching; Precipitation; Sodium hydrosulfide;

Sep 1, 2012

By P. Braga, A. Chaves, S. França, A. Luz

"In Brazil, there are no official reserves of molybdenum, and the unofficial reserves are modest. Therefore, the molybdenum ore (molybdenite) produced as a co-product or by-product of emerald mining in the region of Campo Formoso, BA, has arisen as the only economic option. The flotation process is commonly used in Brazil for the recovery of molybdenite from emerald mining tailings, but it produces low-content molybdenite concentrates, thereby resulting in a product with low economic value. The molybdenite concentrate produced in Campo Formoso contains 83.5% MoS2 (50% Mo), which is less than the international standard product that contains > 90% MoS2 (54% Mo).This low value is due to the presence of talc, which is a naturally hydrophobic mineral that is also floated with the molybdenite during the flotation process. Separability studies were done in a Partridge-Smith cell using dextrin and quebracho as a molybdenite depressor in solution at different concentrations and pH values to produce a technical-grade concentrate (i.e., 90% MoS2). These basic studies were accompanied by measurements of the zeta potential and contact angle, which was determined by the capillary rise method. The results of these floatability studies were used in bench flotation tests, which were performed in a Denver laboratory flotation cell. A molybdenite concentrate of 93.4% MoS2 was obtained when dextrin was used at a concentration of 100 g/t."

Jan 1, 2014

By S. L. Gubin, T. V. Ignatova, A. V. Levshin, D. O. Sharkovsky

"Flotation process applied for concentration of unoxidized ferruginous quartzites by PJSC Mikhailovsky GOK (MGOK) is based on wet magnetic separation of strong magnetic minerals. However quality of the resulting concentrate (Fe65-66%) is insufficient for production of metallics. Quality upgrade of magnetite concentrate via flotation has been implemented by MGOK to produce premium quality magnetite concentrate.Flotation is a challenging process due to sensitivity to varied amounts of reagents, fine and coarse mineral ratio, particle contact (retention) time and temperature of feed. Tomah’s PA-14 reagent (USA) has proven efficient for application in flotation of MGOK’s magnetite concentrate.Objective of this work is to select and prove applicability of selective agents for flotation upgrade of magnetite iron ore concentrate.Series of flotation tests has been carried out with application of new highly selective collecting agents produced by Akzo Nobel (Sweden), Clariant (Germany) as well as Akzo Nobel’s and Tomah’s cationic collector mix to improve performance efficiency of flotation process. Tomah’s flotation agents and Akzo Nobel’s Lilaflotproved to be the most effective for purposes of concentrate quality upgrade to Fe69.0% via flotation.Testing Method: Following scientific research methods were applied for testwork: system analysis, mathematical statistics, observation, comparison, trial (experiment).To determine key process factors a series of pilot tests was carried out. Most of the testwork was performed by PJSC Mikhailovsky GOK’s Central Process Laboratory.Work Results:-optimized flotation performance modes were defined to ensure production of three types of low-silica concentrate, i.e. containing SiO25%, SiO24% and below SiO23% by weight. Most efficient selective agents applicable for flotation have been defined. Mixture of higher aliphatic amines has proven to intensify selective flotation of quartz. It enables higher yield of chamber product maintaining desired quality of concentrate.Achieved process operation and performance factors have been revaluated.Value for Advancement and Expansion of Mineral Processing:Flotation of concentrate has enabled expansion of PJSC Mikhailovsky GOK’s production capacity, improved production quality, helped to maintain sustainability and competitive advantage of the company."

Jan 1, 2018

By D. Jamróz, A. Surowiak, T. Niedoba, P. Pieta

"The separation of coal material of three types of coals originating from three various Polish hard coal mines (types 31, 34.2 and 35, according to Polish nomenclature, which were steam coal, semi-coking coal and coking coal) into particle size fractions and then into particle density fractions was done and then the following parameters were measured for each particle size-density fraction: combustion heat, ash contents, sulfur contents, volatile parts contents, analytic moisture. In this way a 7-dimensional vector of data was created. Using methods of factor analysis the important features of coal were selected, which decide about their membership to individual types. To evaluate the appropriateness of the applied method the Bartlett’s sphericity test as well coefficient of Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin (KMO) were used. To select important factors the Kaiser criterion and Cattell’s scree test were used. The obtained results were compared with the results obtained in previous works by means of observation tunnels method. The results showed which particular features are crucial to define the type of coal what is also important to select appropriate method of its enrichment.INTRODUCTION Coal extracted from the mine is often a mixture of coals of various quality originating, for example, from various coal layers. One of the most important issues is to determine its quality, what means to verify if it fulfills certain requirements. Usually, such parameters as combustion heat, ash contents, sulfur contents, volatile parts contents and analytic moisture decide what the coal quality is (Drzymala, 2009). Such investigations are expensive and time consuming. That is why it seems to be important to determine the mutual connections and interactions between them what would make possible to reduce the amount of the necessary parameters. This issue was already investigated with successes in several works [Jamróz and Niedoba, 2013; 2014; Niedoba, 2015]. This work is another approach to this problem. Here, the investigation of possible reduction of researched parameters was done on the basis of the factor analysis. The obtained results confirm the earlier observations."

Jan 1, 2018

By Jochen Petersen, Steven Bradshaw, Guven Akdogan, Ngoie Mpinga, James Mwase, Jacques Eksteen, Cornelius Snyders

"The platinum group metals (PGMs) and associated minerals are particularly refractory to most traditional direct leach processes. However, the remoteness of many new ore deposits, socio-political risks, the scarcity of skilled labor and constraints on the availability of water and electrical power makes it increasingly more difficult to implement the conventional mill-float-smelt-refine process routes to extract and refine PGMs in remote areas. This paper discusses a process to extract PGM’s from low grade ore and concentrate using a sequential stage heap leach process entailing heap bioleaching and high temperature cyanide leaching, and evaluates the feasibility of implementing a carbon-in-pulp process to recover the PGMs from the pregnant leach solution. The heap bioleaching extracts the base metals in an acidic sulfate medium using a mixed culture of thermophiles. After heap bioleaching the heap is reclaimed, rinsed, agglomerated and restacked for high temperature cyanide leaching where the cyanide liquor is directly heated via solar energy in panels. Palladium, gold and platinum are recovered during the cyanide leaching stage. The pregnant leach solution was evaluated for potential carbon-in-pulp adsorption and subsequent elution similar to gold processing. The kinetics of adsorption and elution compared well with gold adsorption and elution."

Jan 1, 2014