STTR Phase I: In Situ Cyanide Monitoring in Gold Mine Effluents

这个小型企业技术转让(STTR)第一阶段项目解决了监测氰化浸出金的未得到满足的分析需求，这是一种在采矿业中广泛使用的精炼金矿的工艺。目的是确定传感器的可行性，允许在氰化物浸出反应器、脱毒反应器和尾矿设施中选择性地测量游离和复杂的氰化物。传感器非常适合于这些测量，因为它们预计不会受到浑浊的影响，具有氰化物选择性，可以通过特定的接收器进行调节，并且不需要进行非常规样品处理。该项目将利用高选择性和耐污染的氟全氟聚合物膜。该项目如果成功，将对更广泛的商业产生重大影响，因为预计它将减少采矿业矿物开采对环境造成的损害。具体地说，这项研究旨在显著减少有毒氰化物的使用量。更有效地控制氰化物的使用，可望显著减少意外的氰化物排放，从而减少由此对环境造成的负面影响。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project addresses the unmet analytical needs for monitoring cyanide leaching of gold, a process widely used in the mining industry to refine gold ores. The goal is to establish the feasibility of sensors that permit the selective measurement of free and complexed cyanide in the cyanide leach reactor, detoxification reactor, and in the tailings facilities. The sensors are ideally suited for these measurements since they are expected to be unaffected by turbidity, to have a cyanide selectivity that can be tuned with specific receptors, and to require no off-stream sample handling. The project will take advantage of highly selective and fouling-resistant fluorous perfluoropolymer membranes. The broader/commercial impact of this project, if successful, is significant, as it is expected to reduce the enviromental harm resulting from the mining industry's mineral recovery. Specifically, the research aims to significantly reduce the amount of toxic cyanide use. More effective control of cyanide usage is expected to minimize accidental cyanide discharges significantly and thereby, reduce resulting negative impact on the environment.