Hydrometallurgy of base and precious metals

本提案概述了一项在与贱金属和贵金属的回收和加工有关的一些重要领域继续进行研究和开发的计划。硫化镍的加压浸出是第一个研究领域。加压浸出是传统熔炼工艺的替代方法，涉及将镍和副产品金属直接提取到水基溶液中。 然后通过许多过程从溶液中回收金属。 将研究元素硫的行为和控制。 可以加入表面活性剂以分散矿物表面的硫，使浸出得以进行。将研究从金矿废水中回收金属和氰化物。 在这项工作中，使用有机溶液（溶剂）含有定制的化学萃取剂，或离子交换树脂，将被用来选择性地提取目标金属和氰化物从黄金厂废水的废液。 这将允许副产物金属回收和氰化物循环，确保经济和环境效益。将研究高温高压条件下铁沉淀的形成，以制备用于矿物浸出的富硫酸铁溶液。 这种方法已经在老挝的一家铜加工厂应用。 在这项工作中，更深入地了解的形成和碱性沉淀物的回收将进行，以期开发新的应用在金属提取和回收。

Hydrometallurgy of Base and Precious MetalsThis proposal outlines a program to continue research and development in a number of important areas related to recovery and processing of base and precious metals.The pressure leaching of nickel sulfides is the first area of investigation. Pressure leaching is an alternative to conventional smelting processes and involves direct extraction of nickel and by-product metals into a water-based solution.  The metals are then recovered from solution by a number of processes.  The behaviour and control of elemental sulfur will be studied.  Surfactants can be added to disperse sulfur from mineral surfaces, allowing leaching to proceed.The recovery of metals and cyanide from gold mill effluents will be investigated.  In this work, the use of organic solutions (solvents) containing tailored chemical extractants, or ion exchange resins, will be used to selectively extract target metals and cyanide from waste solutions from gold mill effluents.  This will allow by-product metal recovery and cyanide recycle, ensuring economic and environmental benefits.The formation of iron precipitates under high temperature and pressure conditions will be studied with a view to preparation of ferric sulfate rich solutions for mineral leaching.  This approach has been developed for application at a copper processing plant in Laos.  In this work, a deeper understanding of the formation and releaching of the basic precipitate will be undertaken with a view to development of new applications in metal extraction and recovery.