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FlorreaGoldLixiviantGOLDIX567EnvironmentallyfriendlyGoldLeachingwithoutcyanide.
The various oxidized gold ore were leached with various lixiviants and Florrea Goldix 567 is the best lixiviant
substituteforcyanideasgoldlixiviantatpresent,meanwhilegoleleachingspeedswithorganicchlorineCwas8
timesofthatwithcyanide
Goldcyanidation,alsocalledcyanideleaching,isametallurgicaltechniqueforextractinggoldfromlowgradeore
byconvertingthegoldtoawatersolublecoordinationcomplex.Itisthemostcommonlyusedprocessforgold
extraction.
Duetothehighlypoisonousnatureofcyanide,theprocessiscontroversialanditsusageisbannedinanumberof
countriesandterritories.
Itusescyanidetodissolvethegoldwithintherock,which,itself,isnotsolubleincyanide.
Thegoldisthendrawnoutinaliquidformthatcanbetreatedtoremovethecyanide.Almost90%ofallgold
extractedcommerciallyisdonesobycyanidation.
Theprocesshasbeencontroversialsinceitsinceptionduetothepoisonousnatureofcyanideandthethreatit
posestotheenvironmentandthepeopleworkingintheextractionfacilities.
Oncethegoldoreismineditcanbetreatedasawholeoreusingadumpleachingorheapleachingprocesses.
Thisistypicaloflowgrade,oxidedeposits.Normally,theoreiscrushedandagglomeratedpriortoheapleaching.
Highgradeoresandoresresistanttocyanideleachingatcoarseparticlesizes,requirefurtherprocessinginorder
torecoverthegoldvalues.Theprocessingtechniquescanincludegrinding,concentration,roasting,andpressure
oxidationpriortocyanidation.
Forheapleaching,therockiscrushedintosmallerpiecesandplacedoveraliner.Acyanidesolutionisintroduced,
whichliquifiesthegold,releasesitfromtherock,andallowsittodrainawayforprocessing.Thismethodofgold
extraction,alsoknownasgoldcyanidation,takesseveralmonths.
Processingtheoreimmediatelywithoutcrushingitisknownasdumpleaching.Dumpleachingisusedtoextract
mostlylowerqualitygoldandmetals.Itdoesnotrequiretherocktobebrokenintosmallpiecesandischeaper
andlesseffective.
Eachprocess,however,usescyanidetoremovethegoldfromtheore.
Depending on what other metals are present in the ore, preliminary processes may be necessary to ensure a
productiveandeffectiveextraction.Onesuchprocessisorewashing,orsubmersionoftheoreinwaterwitha
highpH,knownasanalkalinesolution.Acalciumoxidealkalinesolutionisoftenusedtoneutralizepotentialacids,
afterwhich,thesolutionisfloodedwithair,oraerated.Thesemethodslimittheextenttowhichironandsulfide,
commonlyfoundinore,interactwiththecyanide.Theuseofcalciumoxideprecyanidationhelpsensurethatno
hydrogencyanide,ahighlytoxicformofcyanide,isreleasedduringtheprocess.
Theprocessofgoldcyanidationisusuallyconductedinanoutdoorsetting,thoughanindoorfacility,thatmeets
safetyregulations,issometimesemployed.Acyanidesalt,suchaspotassiumcyanide,sodiumcyanide,orcalcium
cyanide, the most popular choice, is mixed with water and then applied to the ore. This part of the process is
completewhenmostoftheobtainablegoldhasliquifiedandbeenremoved.
Theamountoftimerequiredfornearcompletegoldcyanidationrangesfromaslittleas10hourstoaslongas44
hoursanddependsonthesizeofthegoldparticlespresentintheore.Themoreoxygenpresentatthetimeof
cyanidation,thelesstimetheprocesswilltake.Whenthegoldhassufficientlydissolved,itisrecoveredbyoneof
twomethods.Itcanbeadsorbedontolargecarbonparticlesthatarefilteredfromtheore.IntheMerrillCrowe
precipitationprocess,oxygenisremovedfromthesolution,whichistheninfusedwithazincpowderandpassed
throughafilter.
Theenvironmentalhazardsofusinggoldcyanidationarenumerous,especiallysincetheprocessoftentakesplace
outdoors.Ifpropersafetyprecautionsarenottaken,therecanbeseriousconsequencesfortheworkersandthe
surroundingecosystems.Althoughmeasuresareundertakentoensurethatnohydrogencyanidedevelops,other
formsofcyanidestillposeadangertoexposedorganisms.Harmfulchemicals,includingnitratesandthiocyanates,
are created during cyanidation, though their impact is far less extensive than a cyanide leak. Gold extraction
companiesmustabidebystrictsafetymeasurestopreventtheoccurrenceofsuchanevent.
Sincethe1890's,cyanidehasbeenusedtorecovergoldfromgoldbearingores.Andtoday,over115yearslater,
mostoftheworldsgoldisrecoveredwithcyanideplayingalargepartinthebeneficiationoftheyellowprecious
metal.Chemically,itisarathersimplereaction:
4Au+8(NaCN)+O2+2H2O=4NaAu(CN)2+4NaOH
Thatpresumesthattheonlyelementsarethegold,SodiumCyanideandwater.However,asanygeologistwill
tell you, no two ores are the same, and their chemical composition will vary greatly throughout the ore body.
These"extra"elementsinthemineralcompoundswilloftenplayhavocwithachemicalreaction,asillustrated
above.
Copper is definitely worth mentioning, since copper minerals will dissolve in cyanide solutions, and cause a
increased use of cyanide, the coppercyanide complexes formed by the dissolution will tend to inhibit the
dissolutionofgoldinthecyanidesolution.Zinc,theelementusedtoprecipitategoldfromsolution,ifpresentin
the ore, will bond with the cyanide to form a zinc cyanide compound. Another element that plays with the
cyanidechemistryisnickel.Nickel,howeverdoesnotinterferewiththegoldgoingintosolution,butratherthe
precipitationofthegoldfromthecyanidesolution.
Arsenicandantimonydopresentalargerproblem,byreactingwiththecyanideandusingupalloftheexcess
oxygen,leavinglittleornooxygentoeffectthedissolutionofgold.Carbonaceousgoldorescanhavethecarbon
adsorbthegoldontoitssurface,andasaresultwillnotberecoveredfromthepregnantsolution.
Leaching gold from sulfide ores is difficult, at best. Generally, the recovery for cyanide leaching of sulfide or
refractoryoresisnobetterthan30%,whichisnotaworthwhileventure.
Theuseofalkaliessuchascalciumoxide,willpreventthedecompositionofcyanideinsolutiontoformhydrogen
cyanidegas.Itreducesthevolumeofcyaniderequiredtoleachthegoldorsilver.Inaddition,hydrogencyanideis
highlytoxictopeople.So,thefewdollarsspentonaddingacheapcalciumoxidetotheoreorsolution,priorto
leachingisworththemoneyspent.MostcyanideleachingiscarriedoutataalkalinepHofbetween10and11,
dependinguponlabtestingofindividualoresandtheoptimumleaching/chemicaluserates.
Thecyanidesolutionstrengthisalsoimportantinleachinggold,withthetypicalrangeofsolutionbeinginthe
0.02% 0.05% NaCN. The gold particle size has a tremendous effect on the time required for dissolution in a
cyanide solution. Generally, the finer the gold, the quicker it will dissolve. A 45 micron particle of gold would
dissolve in 1013 hours, while a 150 micron particle might take from 20 to 44 hours to dissolve in the same
solution.
Oxygenplaysanimportantroleintheleachingofgoldinacyanidesolution,also.Ithasbeenproventhattherate
ofdissolutionofgoldincyanidesolutionisdirectlyproportionaltotheamountofoxygenpresent.Normalwater
willhave89ppmdissolvedoxygenpresentinit.Ifthisoxygenisusedupbyotherreactions,itmaybenecessary
toaeratethesolution,inducingoxygenintoit,tospeedupthereaction.Withcostbeingalwaysthedetermining
factor(exceptinsafety),thedecisiontoaerateandspeedupthereactionwillbemadebaseduponeconomics
andlaboratorytesting.Itisnotusedmuchanymore,becausemostleachingisheapleaching,carriedoutinthe
outdoors,wheredripemittersorspraysdistributethecyanidesolutiontoalargestructureofgoldore,calleda
"heap".Andwhilethepileoforeiscalledaheap,itisnotahaphazardpileofrocks.Muchthoughtanddesign
goesintothemakingofaheapleach,toderivethebest,mosteconomicalsolutionforrecoveringthegoldfrom
theore.
Once the gold has been dissolved in the cyanide, and the ore body has been reasonably depleted of its gold,
there are two main processes for recovering the gold from the pregnant cyanide solution. One is the
MerrillCrowezincprecipitationprocessandtheotheristheadsorptionofthegoldontoactivatedcarbon.The
oldest method, Merrill Crowe, involves first removing the oxygen from the solution, then mixing a fine zinc
powder with it (200 mesh), and recovering the very fine gold precipitate on a precoat filter, since the gold
precipitateisveryfine,rangingfromafewmicronsto50orsomicrons.Thezincreactswiththecyanide:
2Au(CN)+Zn=2Au+Zn(CN)42
Otherchemicalshavebeenusedtoleachgold,andtheyincludebromine,chlorine,andthiourea.Therehasalso
beenalotofexperimentationwithvariousbiologicalmediaforrecoveringgoldfromores,butnoonehascome
upwithamorecosteffectiveandproductivemethodthanleachingwithcyanide.Insomespecialcircumstances,
someoftheothermethodsmayshowpromise,butforagoodoxidegoldore,CNleachingisusuallythebestof
theleachmethodsfortheyellowpreciousmetal.Silverisalsoleachedeasilyusingcyanide,howevermuchsilver
oreisinsulfideforms,andathigherconcentrations(severalouncespertonandabove),soothermethodssuch
asgravityconcentrationandfrothflotationmaybeemployed.
Topreventthecreationoftoxichydrogencyanideduringprocessing,lime(calciumhydroxide)orsoda(sodium
hydroxide)isaddedtotheextractingsolutiontoensurethattheacidityduringcyanidationismaintainedoverpH
10.5stronglyalkaline.Leadnitratecanimprovegoldleachingspeedandquantityrecovered,particularlyin
processingpartiallyoxidizedores.
Effectsontheenvironment
Despitebeingusedin90%ofgoldproduction,goldcyanidationiscontroversialduetothetoxicnatureofcyanide.
Althoughaqueoussolutionsofcyanidedegraderapidlyinsunlight,thelesstoxicproducts,suchascyanatesand
thiocyanates,maypersistforsomeyears.Thefamousdisastershavekilledfewpeoplehumanscanbewarned
nottodrinkorgonearpollutedwaterbutcyanidespillscanhaveadevastatingeffectonrivers,sometimes
killingeverythingforseveralmilesdownstream.However,thecyanideissoonwashedoutofriversystemsand,
aslongasorganismscanmigratefromunpollutedareasupstream,affectedareascansoonberepopulated.
Cyanideleachingproducesmanyhazardouswasteproductsthatmustbedisposedofproperly.Someofthese
hazardousmaterialsareacidsandheavymetals,butthemosthazardouscompoundsarethecyanidecompounds.
Thecyanidecompoundsareextremelytoxictomostanimalsandcandestroyanecosystemifsignificantamounts
ofthesolutionsescape.Ifthesolutionsgetintosoils,plantsabsorbthecyanidebearingsolutions[Nobleand
Howe,1980].Cyanideaccumulatesintheplantsandoftenprovesdeadlyforgrazinglivestock.
Onlywithcarefulhandlingofwastesarethesehazardskeptfromtheenvironment.TheHomestakeMineinLead,
SouthDakota,isanexampleofamineusingcyanideleachingtechniquesthatoperateswithouthavinganegative
environmentalimpact.TheHomestakeMineproducesabouttwelvetonsofgoldeachyear[BachmanandCaddy,
1990].Largeamountsofgoldalsoresultinlargeamountsofhazardouswaste.Atthemine,theGrizzlyGulch
tailingsdamisusedtosettleouthazardoussolidsandoffersalargereservoirforhazardousliquidstodegrade
naturally.Topreventwaterfrominfiltratingthereservoirandcreatingmorecontaminatedwater,atrenchwas
dugaroundtheminetocapturesurfacerunoff.Anothertrenchwasdugdownstreamtocapturegroundwater
flowingfromunderthereservoir.Thesetrenchesactassafetymeasuresthatisolatehazardousmaterialsfrom
thesurroundingenvironment.Inanefforttofurtherreducetheamountofcontaminatedliquids,Homestake
Mineuseswaterfromthetailingsdamingoldextractionprocesses.Recyclingreducestheamountoffreshwater
thatbecomescontaminatedbyminewastes.
Year
Mine
Country
198591
Summitville US
Incident
Leakagefromleachpad
1980spresent OkTedi
PapuaNewGuinea Unrestrainedwastedischarge
1995
Omai
Guyana
Collapseoftailingsdam
1998
Kumtor
Kyrgyzstan
Truckdroveoverbridge
2000
BaiaMare Romania
2000
Tolukuma
Collapseoftailingsdam(see2000BaiaMarecyanidespill)
PapuaNewGuinea Helicopterdroppedcrateintorainforest[10]
Suchspillshavepromptedfierceprotestsatnewminesthatinvolveuseofcyanide,suchasRoiaMontanin
Romania,LakeCowalinAustralia,PascuaLamainChile,andBukitKomaninMalaysia.
Preciousmetalsmethod
Thecrushedoreisirrigatedwithadilutecyanidesolution.Thesolutionpercolatesthroughtheheapandleaches
outthevaluablemetal.Thismaytakemanyweeks.
Thesolutioncontainingthepreciousmetals("pregnantsolution")carriesonpercolatingthroughthecrushedore
awaiting it reaches the liner at the underneath of the heap where it drains into a storage space (pregnant
solution) pond. After unraveling the precious metals from the pregnant solution, the dilute cyanide solution
(presently known as "barren solution") is usually reused in the heapleachmethod or infrequently sent to an
industrialwatertreatmentability wherethe residual cyanide is treatedand residual metals are taken out.The
wateristhenreleasedtotheenvironment,posinglikelywaterpollution.
Heapleaching
Leachingoftoxicmaterialsintogroundwaterisamajorhealthconcern.
Heapleachingisalsousedinrecoveringmetalsfromtheirores.Bacterialleachingisfirstusedtooxidizesulphide
minerals.Cyanidesolutionisthenusedtoleachthemetalsfromthemineralheap.
Sustainability
Thethreattoecosystemcompositionandbiodiversityhasbeencommentedonrepeatedlyintermsofthese
mines,anditisnotedthat,whiletheydohaveahigheryield,theyalsohavetendenciestoaccumulatewearand
tearfrombeingoutside,andposeathreattotheimmediateenvironmentbycrushinganddumpingdirtthat
wouldotherwisehavebeenleftuntouched.Asnotedearlier,withthereductionofreadilyavailableRareEarth
Minerals,therehasbeenincreasedintheamountoforepiledontothesepads,suggestingthattheremaycomea
timewhentheamountoforedumpedisnotworththeamountofreturnedmineralcollected.Therefore,
alternativesneedtobeconsideredinthenearfuture.Currently,depthsarebeingminedfasterthanresearchcan
provideinformationabouttheeffectsofmoreoreonthesystem.
Thereisalsoverylittlestudyforlongtermviabilityofliners,asthistypeofminingandtheincreasedoredepths
arestillarelativelynewfield,especiallygiventhechangesindepthsthathavebeenputintopractice.Withthe
increaseinweight,pressure,andchemicalsputonthismethodofmining,aswellasthealreadysmalllevelof
knowledgeregardinglongtermbenefits,itisdifficulttopredicttheextentofdamagefrompreviousleaks,aswell
asthedurabilityofpresentdaypadsandminingsites
ExamplesofCaseStudies
RumJungleMine
Oneoftheoldestandmostfamousuraniumminesintheworld,theRumJungleMineinNorthernAustraliawas
constructedinthe1950s,andistodayexperiencingextremeamountsofenvironmentaldegradationandacid
rockdrainagethatareleadingtofurthernegativeimpactsonthesurroundingriverandecosystems(Fergusonet
al2011)Thismineincludesthreeoverburdenedheaps,twofloodedopencuts,andabackfilledopencut,aswell
asnumerousformertailingsandheapleachpads.Theseleachpadscausedconsiderablecontaminationtosoils
aschemicalsseepedthroughthem.Therewasattemptedrehabilitationinthe1980s,buttherearestillhigh
evidencesofenvironmentalproblemstoday(MuddandPatterson2010)Thesewastesitescausedthelocalriver
tomaintainwaterthatishighlyunsafeduetoitsacidity,highconcentrationsoftargetminerals,andothertoxic
chemicals,manyofwhicharesaidtohaveoriginallyleachedoutof(Fergusonetal2011).Whilethehighest
concentrationshavestayednearthebufferzonesofthemineandintheEastFinnissRiver,thosethatdidmakeit
intotheFinnissRiverposeaseriousandongoingpublicthreattothoselivingnearbywhousedtheriverdaily
(Fergusonetal2011).Now,yearslater,itisstillposingaseriousenvironmentalrisktothosearoundthemine
(MuddandPatterson2010).
RangerUraniumMine
RangerUraniumMineinNorthernAustraliashowedasignificantincreaseinerodibilityoflandswhenincontact
withmaterialstreatedfromchemicalmining(Riley1995).[11]Thiscouldmanifestitselfinlandslidesandlossof
habitat,aswellasanincreaseingravelcompositionthatcouldcauseotherpotentialproblems.Iftheselandscan
beplantedwithvegetationthatcansurvivemoreacidicconditions,howeverlikelythatmaybe,theymaybeable
toavoiderodingmaterialsintoother,lessminecontaminatedecosystem(Riley1995).Giventhelikelihoodofthis,
though,morerehabilitationmeasuresarebeingsoughtafter.Thiscasestudy,however,showsthecomplexities
ofminingandthenecessitytofactorinmorepreventativemeasureswhendealingwithtoxicchemicalsinnatural
settings.
TheAustraliangovernment,whohasrecentlyhadtodealwithnegativeenvironmentaleffectsfrommanyhistoric
mines,hastakennowtorequiringmeasuresthatrequireaccountingenvironmentalandsocialconcerns.
Alternativelocationsshouldbelistedandanalyzedinminingproposals,aswellasrehabilitationplans,
externalities(andpossiblesolutions),groundwaterandinfrastructurechanges,gainedorlostopportunities,
socioeconomicimpacts,andanyrisks,aswellasanymeasurestakentoreduceoreliminatesaidrisks
(DepartmentofNaturalResources,Environment,theArtsandSport2009).[12]
FortBelknap,Montana
LocatedontheFortBelknapIndianReservation,theZortmanLanduskygoldmineinMontanawasoneofmany
earlyheapleachminesthatexperiencedproblemswithspillsandcontaminationofsurfaceandgroundwater.
Althoughtheleakshappenedinthe1980s,andtheminewaseventuallyshutdownin1996,healthproblemson
thereservationcontinuetobeaproblem,and,asnotalloftheminewasproperlycleanedup,couldpotentially
causefurtherdamagetothepeopleofFortBelknap(Woodyetal2011)ZortmanLanduskyeventuallyfiled
bankruptcywhentheBureauofLandManagementsteppedintoassistthelawsuitthatwasnotheardbythe
residentsofthereservation.Oncethebankruptcywasfiled,however,allhealthcareandstudiesceased,and
compensationforthedestructionofculturallysignificantmountainpeakstothelocalAssiniboineandGros
Ventrepeoplewasneverachieved(Klauk2012)Today,therearestillabnormallyhighreportsofhealthproblems
includingthyroidproblems,leadpoisoning,chemicalburns,andemphysema(especiallyinchildren)(Klauk2012).
Idaho
Inavictoryforantiheapleachendeavors,in2006,IdaholegislatureswerefailedtoallowtheCanadianbased
AtlantaGoldCompanytousecyanideleachingonamountaintoptoextractpredictedgoldplacedatthe
headwatersofamainriver,especiallyaftertheStateofMontanahadsomanyproblemswithwater
contaminationinleachminingendeavors.However,AtlantaGoldwasabletobuypubliclands,andisnow
attemptingtocleanuptoxiclevelsofarsenicdrippingfrompreviousminingendeavorinordertoproceedwith
lessstringentpermitprocessesformining.Thosechemicallevelshaveaffectedlocalspecies,aswellasthesmall
groupofcitizensresidinginAtlanta,Idaho.
YetanotherminingendeavorthatleadtotheincreasedhealthriskofneighboringcitizensincludestheCoeur
dAleneMiningDistrictinCoeurdAlene,Idaho.Dozensofvariousminesinacloseareastartedleaking
contaminantstothesurroundingstreams,poisoninglocalbiodiversity,includingtheSalmonpopulations,many
speciesofwhichwerealreadystrugglingorelseakeysourceofnutritionforlocalpopulations(Woodyetal2011).
ThesepopulationseventuallyexperiencedcountlesshealthproblemsuntiltheDepartmentofHealthandWelfare
steppedintotakemeasuredtopromoteawarenessanddemandcleanupmeasures,whichultimatelycostthe
government$212million(Woodyetal2011).
Tankleaching
In metallurgical processes tank leaching is a hydrometallurgical method of extracting valuable material (usually
metals)fromore.
Tankvs.vatleaching
Factors
Tankleachingisusuallydifferentiatedfromvatleachingonthefollowingfactors:
1. Intankleachingthematerialisgroundsufficientlyfinetoformaslurryorpulp,whichcanflowunder
gravityorwhenpumped.Invatleachingtypicallyacoarsermaterialisplacedinthevatforleaching,this
reducesthecostofsizereduction;
2. Tanksaretypicallyequippedwithagitators,baffles,gasintroductionequipmentdesignedtomaintainthe
solidsinsuspensionintheslurry,andachieveleaching.Vatsusuallydonotcontaininternalequipment;
3. Tankleachingistypicallycontinuous,whilevatleachingisoperatedinabatchfashion,thisisnotalways
thecase,andcommercialprocessesusingcontinuousvatleachinghavebeentested;
4. Typicallytheretentiontimerequiredforvatleachingismorethanthatfortankleachingtoachievethe
samepercentageofrecoveryofthevaluablematerialbeingleached;
Inatankleachtheslurryismoved,whileinavatleachthesolidsremaininthevat,andsolutionismoved.
Processes
Tankandvatleachinginvolvesplacingore,usuallyaftersizereductionandclassification,intolargetanksorvats
atambientoperatingconditionscontainingaleachingsolutionandallowingthevaluablematerialtoleachfrom
theoreintosolution.
Intankleachingtheground,classifiedsolidsarealreadymixedwithwatertoformaslurryorpulp,andthisis
pumpedintothetanks.Leachingreagentsareaddedtothetankstoachievetheleachingreaction.Ina
continuoussystemtheslurrywilltheneitheroverflowfromonetanktothenext,orbepumpedtothenexttank.
Ultimatelythepregnantsolutionisseparatedfromtheslurryusingsomeformofliquid/solidseparation
process,andthesolutionpassesontothenextphaseofrecovery.
Invatleachingthesolidsareloadedintothevat,oncefullthevatisfloodedwithaleachingsolution.Thesolution
drainsfromthetank,andiseitherrecycledbackintothevatorispumpedtothenextstepoftherecovery
process.
Asmentionedpreviouslytanksareequippedwithagitatorstokeepthesolidsinsuspensioninthevatsand
improvethesolidtoliquidtogascontact.Agitationisfurtherassistedbytheuseoftankbafflestoincreasethe
efficiencyofagitationandpreventcentrifugingofslurriesincirculartanks.
Extractionefficiencyfactors
Asidefromchemicalrequirementsseveralkeyfactorsinfluenceextractionefficiency:
Retentiontimereferstothetimespentintheleachingsystembythesolids.Thisiscalculatedasthe
totalvolumetriccapacityoftheleachtank/sdividedbythevolumetricthroughputofthesolid/liquid
slurry.Retentiontimeiscommonlymeasuredinhoursforpreciousmetalsrecovery.Asequenceofleach
tanksisreferredtoasaleach"train",andretentiontimeismeasuredconsideringthetotalvolumeofthe
leachtrain.Thedesiredretentiontimeisdeterminedduringthetestingphase,andthesystemisthen
designedtoachievethis.
SizeTheoremustbegroundtoasizethatexposesthedesiredmineraltotheleachingagent(referredto
asliberation),andintankleachingthismustbeasizethatcanbesuspendedbytheagitator.Invat
leachingthisisthesizethatisthemosteconomicallyviable,wheretherecoveryachievedasoreis
groundfinerisbalancedagainsttheincreasedcostofprocessingthematerial.
SlurrydensityTheslurrydensity(percentsolids)determinesretentiontime.Thesettlingrateand
viscosityoftheslurryarefunctionsoftheslurrydensity.Theviscosity,inturn,controlsthegasmass
transferandtheleachingrate.
NumbersoftanksAgitatedtankleachcircuitsaretypicallydesignedwithnolessthanfourtanksand
preferablymoretopreventshortcircuitingoftheslurrythroughthetanks.
DissolvedgasGasisofteninjectedbelowtheagitatororintothevattoobtainthedesireddissolvedgas
levelstypicallyoxygen,insomebasemetalplantssulphurdioxidemayberequired.
ReagentsAddingandmaintainingtheappropriateamountofreagentsthroughouttheleachcircuitis
criticaltoasuccessfuloperation.Addinginsufficientquantitiesofreagentsreducesthemetalrecovery
butaddingexcessreagentsincreasestheoperatingcostswithoutrecoveringenoughadditionalmetalto
coverthecostofthereagents.
Thetankleachingmethodiscommonlyusedtoextractgoldandsilverfromore.
Leaching
Leachinginvolvestheuseofaqueoussolutionscontainingalixiviantwhichisbroughtintocontactwithamaterial
containingavaluablemetal.Thelixiviantinsolutionmaybeacidicorbasicinnature.Thetypeandconcentration
ofthelixiviantisnormallycontrolledtoallowsomedegreeofselectivityforthemetalormetalsthataretobe
recovered.Intheleachingprocess,oxidationpotential,temperature,andpHofthesolutionareimportant
parameters,andareoftenmanipulatedtooptimizedissolutionofthedesiredmetalcomponentintotheaqueous
phase.
Thethreebasicleachingtechniquesareinsituleaching,heapleaching,andvatleaching.
Insituleaching
Insituleachingisalsocalled"solutionmining."Theprocessinitiallyinvolvesdrillingofholesintotheoredeposit.
Explosivesorhydraulicfracturingareusedtocreateopenpathwayswithinthedepositforsolutiontopenetrate
into.Leachingsolutionispumpedintothedepositwhereitmakescontactwiththeore.Thesolutionisthen
collectedandprocessed.TheBeverleyuraniumdepositisanexampleofinsituleaching.
Heapleaching
Inheapleachingprocesses,crushed(andsometimesagglomerated)oreispiledinaheapwhichislinedwithan
imperviouslayer.Leachsolutionissprayedoverthetopoftheheap,andallowedtopercolatedownward
throughtheheap.Theheapdesignusuallyincorporatescollectionsumpswhichallowthe"pregnant"leach
solution(i.e.solutionwithdissolvedvaluablemetals)tobepumpedforfurtherprocessing.
Vatleaching
Vatleachinginvolvescontactingmaterial,whichhasusuallyundergonesizereductionandclassification,with
leachsolutioninlargetanksorvats.Oftenthevatsareequippedwithagitatorstokeepthesolidsinsuspensionin
thevatsandimprovethesolidtoliquidcontact.Aftervatleaching,theleachedsolidsandpregnantsolutionare
usuallyseparatedpriortofurtherprocessing.