4 MP Adsorption

MINERAL PROCESSING COURSE
Carbon Adsorption
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Module Contents
> Gold ore

> Activated Carbon
> Dissolution of Gold from the Ore
― Rate of dissolution and associated factors
> Adsorption of Gold Cyanide onto Activated Carbon

― Factors influencing gold adsorption
> Carbon In Pulp/Carbon In Leach

> Gold on Carbon Profile
> Gold in Solution Profile
> Carbon Activity Profile
> Acid Washing
> Regeneration
Adsorption
> Adsorption is a process where a solid is used to remove a soluble

substance from the aqueous solution.
> Activated carbon is the solid used in gold adsorption
> Adsorption stages:

― Dissolution of gold from the ore
― Ionic bonding of gold cyanide
― Adsorption of gold cyanide onto activated carbon
Carbon Types Available
DATE CARBON DESCRIPTION SUPPLIER’S NAME Relative X.N.O. Bulk Density (kg/m3) Suitability
Activity Hardness
13/05/85 MORLY R3515 The Swift Matts Minter Co. 115.6 98.0 457 1
07/03/85 PICA G210 AS Carbone - Lorraine 103.7 97.1 488 2
27/03/85 CALCON GRC-22 Wright and Company 100.0 96.3 438 2
06/09/85 KOYCARB AKK II Brown and Dureau (Intl.) 111.6 96.1 464 2
09/12/85 TAIKO CW 6x12G Sumitono Australia Ltd. 125.1 95.8 450 2
17/12/85 METASORB GS55 Tennant Trading 85.7 95.7 506 3
01/03/85 LANKACARB LX60 Rurketta/ Morganite 95.6 94.5 437 3
17/12/85 HAYCARB YAO Metallurgical Sales and Services 84.3 95.0 473 3
16/12/85 KURARAY 2GA (BX7RD) Brown and Dureau (Intl.) 47.9 95.5 524 u/s
27/03/85 METASORB 351G Tennant Trading 101.5 92.6 448 u/s
27/03/85 METASORB 321G Tennant Trading 70.3 97.2 525 u/s
09/05/85 CTC-35 Tall Bennett 50.4 96.4 549 u/s
09/05/85 CTC-65 Tall Bennett 69.2 93.2 477 u/s
06/02/85 OIAHOPE AUS-1 Mitsubishi Chemical Industries 76.2 94.9 547 u/s
18/12/84 CENAPRO Woodpecker Building (65.0) 95.8 541 u/s
21/12/84 KURARAY GL6x16 Brown and Dureau (Intl.) (75.0) 96.1 460 u/s
14/10/83 KURARAY GL6x12 Brown and Dureau (Intl.) (85.0) 97.5 501 u/s
31/01/84 TAIKO CW 6x12B Sumitono Australia Ltd. (95.0) 97.1 332 u/s
19/06/84 C20 1.2 – 3.0 Degusso Eponit (60.0) 95.2 585 u/s
24/10/83 DIASORB 6-16 Mitsubishi Chemical Industries (60.0) 95.0 513 u/s
24/10/83 DIASORB N10-30 Mitsubishi Chemical Industries (75.0) 94.8 493 u/s
Gold Ores
> Gold ores

― Refractory
― Non-Refractory
> Non-Refractory ore will dissolve in cyanide
> Refractory ore consists of complex ore

― Cyanide consumers (native copper, chalcocite, pyrrhotite)
― Toxic minerals (arsenide, mercury, bismuth)
― Interlocked minerals (gold-tellurides, arsenopyrites,
aurostibites, maldonites)
Merril Crowe Flowsheet
Leached Pulp
CCO Solids to Tailings
Liquor
Filtration
“Polished” Liquor
Deaeration
(Crowe Tower)
Liquor
Barren Liquor Zinc (powder, dust)
Gold Precipitation
Return to Mill Pb(NO3)2 (optional)
Filter Cake
Smelting and Refining
BULLION
Activated Carbon
> Activated carbon is a highly porous carbonaceous material
> Undefined structural formula
> Activated carbon looks like a sponge
> Its surface has millions of tiny interlocking holes
> Typical surface area of about 1000 m2/g
― The same surface area as two (2) football fields
Activated Carbon
> Normal structure of graphite
> Activated carbon is formed when part of the graphite structure

is burnt away leaving a very porous product
Activated Carbon (cont.)
> Activated carbon

manufacturing materials:
― Coal (peat, lignite,
bituminous coal or
anthracite),
― Coconut shells,
― Peach and apricot pits,
― Wood, etc
> Activated Carbon

Structure
Adsorption Stages
1. Dissolution of gold from the ore
2. Ionic bonding of gold cyanide
3. Adsorption of gold cyanide onto activated

carbon
N
C
N u
N
A
C
Au
C N N
C
Au
C N
C
N
N
H
C
O
Au Au C N O O H O H Au
C N
O H
Au N C
O
C
H
N
C
O
O
N
H
H
C N
N C
Au
Dissolution of Gold
> Non-Refractory ore directly

subjected to leaching
> Refractory ore pretreatments:

― Roasting
― Pressure oxidation
― Bacterial leaching
> Chemical reaction:

4 Au  8CN   O2  2H 2 O  4 Au (CN ) 2  4OH 
> In simpler terms:
Au  2CN   Au (CN ) 2
Gold  Cyanide  Gold Cyanide Ion
Dissolution of Gold (cont.)
> Rate of dissolution of gold determines the plant production
> Rate of dissolution depends on following factors:
― Coatings
― Size of gold particles
― Gold compounds
― Cyanide
― Oxygen temperature
Adsorption of Gold Cyanide onto Activated
Carbon
> Activated carbon has high affinity for neutral species
> Gold cyanide complex is slightly negatively charged
> In order to adsorb, gold cyanide compound bonds with positive

ions
Adsorption of Gold Cyanide onto Activated
Carbon (cont.)
> Bonding mechanism is the chemical attraction
― Ionic bonding
― Competition between CN- ion and gold cyanide for active sites on the carbon
― Competition and ionic bond formation will continue until equilibrium is
reached
> Ion-bonding mechanism:
― Loading capacity of activated carbon will increase with increasing

concentration of cations in the order:
Ca2+ > Mg2+ > H+ > Li+ > Na+ > K+
― Anions in solution will decrease the loading capacity of activated carbon with
increasing concentrations in the order:
CN- > S2- > SCN- > SO32- > OH- > Cl- > NO3-
Factors Influencing Gold Adsorption
> Factors influencing

adsorption of gold,
(negatively and positively):
1. Mixing efficiency and

pulp density
2. Particle size of carbon
3. Fouling of carbon
4. Temperature
5. Cyanide concentration
6. pH
7. Ionic strength
8. Gold tenor and contact
time
Typical CIP PLANT
COARSE WASTE
TOTAL PULP
PRELIMINARY
FEED
SCREEN
EX CYANIDATION
25 MESH
PULP
FINE CARBON
CARBON
LOADED CATCH
CARBON SCREEN
23 MESH
ADSORPTION
CIRCUIT
TAILINGS
ACID ADSORPTION
WASH
REGENERATION
ELUTION CARBON SCREEN
COLUMN
20 MESH
FINE CARBON
REGENERATION DISCARD
GOLD
BULLION
ELUATE
ELECTROWINNING
Mixing Efficiency and Pulp Density (in
CIP/CIL)
> Even distribution throughout the pulp
> Controlled pulp density
> Wet carbon density ~ 1.3 to 1.5
> Density too low - carbon sinks
> Density too high - carbon floats
Carbon Movement
CIP Circuit
Airlift or Pumps
Kambalda Screens
Interstage Screens
KEMIX Screen
Sampling Carbon
Changing Screens
Safety Screen
Particle Size of Carbon
> Smaller the granules of activated carbon:

― Faster the adsorption
― Harder is the screening
> Size ranges:

― 8/10 # ASTM (1.18 - 2.36 mm)
― 6/16 # ASTM (1.18 - 3.38 mm)
― 6/12 # ASTM (1.70 - 3.38 mm)
Fouling of Carbon
> Inorganic Fouling

― Attachment of inorganic neutral molecules
― Organic precipitation in pores
― Calcium carbonate, silica and magnesium hydroxide
attachment
― Base metal attachment
― Common base metal cyanides:
-Cu(CN)2
-Cu(CN)3
-Cu (CN)4
-NI (CN)4
-Zn (CN)4
-Fe (CN)6
-Hg (CN)2
-Ag (CN)2
-Co (CN)4
Fouling of Carbon (cont.)
> Organic Fouling
― Attachment of oil, flotation agents and other organic

molecules
> Fouling effect created by
― Large organic molecules
― Small organic molecules
Fouling of Carbon (cont.)
> Large molecules

― Too large to enter the pores on the carbon
― Adsorb mainly on the outside surface
― Significant reduction of the surface area
― Reduction in activity of the carbon
> Small molecules

― Penetrate into and block the pores of the activated
carbon
― Carbon activity drop
― Gold recovery drop
Cyanide Concentrations
> Cyanide is the limiting reagent
> Low cyanide concentration

― Slow leaching
― Low recovery
> High cyanide concentration

― Generally applied in CIP/CIL
― Maximum leaching at 200 g/t
― Above 200 g/t increased stability of Au(CN)2
pH
> High pH
– Increase the stability of Au (CN)2 ion
– Decrease in gold adsorption
> Lower pH
– Improves gold adsorption
– Formation of toxic HCN gas (undesired)
Temperature
> Adsorption is an exothermic process
> Adsorption favoured by low temperature
Gold Tenor and Contact Time
> Adsorption increases with increasing gold tenor
> Contact time will influence the amount of gold adsorbed
> Usual contact time in CIP is 1-4 hours
Gold on Carbon vs. Gold in Solution
EQUILIBRIUM RELATIONSHIP
Gold on Carbon Vs. Gold in Solution
100000
10000
Gold on Carbon g/t
1000
100
10
Equilibrium Actual CIP
0 0.003 0.03 0.3 3 10
Gold in Solution mg/l

Activity of Carbon
> Higher the activity, faster the rate of adsorption
> The activity of the activated carbon is dependent on:-
― The activity of the activated carbon procured - i.e. low or high
activity
― How effectively the poisons are removed from the carbon by
acid washing and regeneration of the carbon handling stages
CIP
> First adsorption tank
CIP/CIL Performance
Feed
M
1 Carbon
M
2
M
3
M
4
Loaded Carbon
to Elution and 5 Tails
Regeneration
Stages 6
Feed = 0.4 mg/l 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tenor
mg/l 2.0 0.8 0.32 0.13 0.05 0.02
Loading
5000 2500 1200 650 360 205
g/t
CIP/CIL Performance (cont.)
Extraction Efficiencies
60% per Stage 50% per Stage
Feed 5.000 5.000
1 2.000 2.500
2 0.800 1.750
Contractors
3 0.320 0.625
4 0.128 0.313
5 0.051 0.156
6 0.020 0.078
7 0.008 0.039
All Figures in mg/l Gold in Solution
Carbon Fouling
CIP/CIL
> The activity of carbon determines the Process Kinetics
> Process kinetics regulate process control
> Important methods of control are:-

1) Gold in solution profile
2) Gold on carbon profile
3) Gold activity profiles
Gold on Carbon Profile
> Quantitative measure of gold on activated carbon in each

contactor
> Factors effecting the gold on carbon profile:-

― plant throughput (of pulp)
― activated carbon concentration
― carbon fouling
― screen breakage
― density of pulp
― rate of carbon movement (related to plant

pulp throughput)
Gold on Carbon Profile (cont.)
Gold on Carbon Profile
6
Au on Carbon (g/T,
*1000) (overdesigned)
5
Au on Carbon (g/T)
Au on Carbon (Normal)
4
Au on Carbon
(Underdesigned)
3
Au on Carbon (Fouled)
2
Screen Break
0
1 2 3 4 5 6
Stages
Gold In Solution Profile
> Quantitative measure of gold in the solution component of the

pulp in each stage
> Factors effecting the gold in solution profile:-

― activated carbon concentrations
― carbon fouling
― screen breakage
― density of pulp
― rate of carbon movement (or pulp throughput)
― gold tenor in feed
― leaching of gold
Gold In Solution Profile (cont.)
Gold in Solution Profile
Contactor Number
4
Gold Tenor (g/T)
Normal
Overdesigned
3 Underdesigned
Screen Break
2 Bad Elution
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Contactor Number
Resins As An Alternative
Development of Ion Exchange
> Ion exchange process – 1840
> Synthetic inorganic resin – 1900
> Styrene-dvinylbenzene copolymer – 1940s
> Ion exchange membranes – 1980s
> Macro porous ion exchangers – 1980s
Resins and the Gold Industry

> First investigated in the 1940 (USBM)
> Resin-in-pulp technology used in U industry 1960s and 1970s
> Muruntau Operation (Uzbekestan, USSR) - 1970
> Other USSR plants – 1970s
> Jubilee Gold Mine (SA) – 1988
> Mintek conduct extensive research & development work
> Connemara Heap Leach (Zimbabwe) – Current
Advantages/Disadvantages of Resins
Advantages
> Not poisoned by organics – no thermal regeneration
> Unaffected by clay ores
> Do not absorb calcium – reduced acid washing requirements
> Improve recovery in the presence of preg-robbing ores
> High selectivity resins offer advantages with Cu/Au ores
> High loading capacity (100,000 g/t) and faster loading kinetics
> Better abrasion resistance (5 g/t)
> Reduced capital costs for small to medium operations
Disadvantages
> Smaller particle size – 0.8-1.2 mm – screening more difficult
> Strong base resins less selective for gold over base metals compared with
activated carbon
> Resin is approximately ten times more expensive than carbon ($30,000/t)
> Database of experience is limited
Entire Cycle
WASH ADSORPTION RINSE REGENERATION
Entire Process Cycle
Carousel Arrangement
WASH
REGENERATION
ADSORPTION RINSE
Carousel Configuration
Commercial Unit
Industry Experience
Russian Experience
> Muruntau
― 13,000,000 mtpa @ 3.5 g/t
― 8 streams x 15 contractors (22m x 4.5m)
― Air agitation
― Air lift transfer
― 6t resin/stage
― 5000-10000 g/t loading
― solution gold in tails 0.0.3 g/t
> Economics did not drive the development of the RIP industry in
the USSR
> Russian resin appears to be inferior to competitors
> Proved that technically, large resin-in-pulp plants could be
successfully operated
> Zarafshan/Muruntau is a mine located in southeast of Zarafshan,
Uzbekistan. It is active in the following commodities : Gold
> The Zarafshan/Muruntau mine is owned by Newmont Mining
Corporation
Industry Experience (cont.)
Signet Experience
> Proposed Boddington Vitrokele Plant

> Ore 2000 g/t Cu and 2 g/t Au
> Leach in existing basement plant, construct RIP plant, tails to main
oxide circuit
> Main function of resin plant to remove Cu before solution enters
oxide plant
> Loadings of up to 100,000 g/t Cu
Mintek Experience
> Jubilee Gold Mine – RIP plant commissioned 1988 with a strong base
resin
> Problems with high clay ore blinding activated carbon
> Introduction of resin allowed plant throughput to double to 400 t/d
> Inter-stage screens – 0.5 mm sieve bends
Penjom Gold Project
THANK YOU
www.mets.net.au

4 MP Adsorption

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4 MP Adsorption

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MINERAL PROCESSING COURSE

Click to edit Master subtitle style

> Gold ore

> Adsorption of Gold Cyanide onto Activated Carbon

> Carbon In Pulp/Carbon In Leach

> Adsorption is a process where a solid is used to remove a soluble

> Activated carbon is the solid used in gold adsorption

> Adsorption stages:

> Gold ores

> Non-Refractory ore will dissolve in cyanide

> Refractory ore consists of complex ore

CCO Solids to Tailings

Smelting and Refining

> Activated carbon is a highly porous carbonaceous material

> Undefined structural formula

> Activated carbon looks like a sponge

> Its surface has millions of tiny interlocking holes

> Typical surface area of about 1000 m2/g

― The same surface area as two (2) football fields

> Normal structure of graphite

> Activated carbon is formed when part of the graphite structure

> Activated carbon

> Activated Carbon

1. Dissolution of gold from the ore

2. Ionic bonding of gold cyanide

3. Adsorption of gold cyanide onto activated

> Non-Refractory ore directly

> Refractory ore pretreatments:

> Chemical reaction:

> In simpler terms:

> Rate of dissolution of gold determines the plant production

> Rate of dissolution depends on following factors:

― Size of gold particles

> Activated carbon has high affinity for neutral species

> Gold cyanide complex is slightly negatively charged

> In order to adsorb, gold cyanide compound bonds with positive

> Ion-bonding mechanism:

― Loading capacity of activated carbon will increase with increasing

Ca2+ > Mg2+ > H+ > Li+ > Na+ > K+

> Factors influencing

1. Mixing efficiency and

> Even distribution throughout the pulp

> Controlled pulp density

> Wet carbon density ~ 1.3 to 1.5

> Density too low - carbon sinks

> Density too high - carbon floats

> Smaller the granules of activated carbon:

― Harder is the screening

> Size ranges:

― 6/16 # ASTM (1.18 - 3.38 mm)

― 6/12 # ASTM (1.70 - 3.38 mm)

> Inorganic Fouling

> Organic Fouling

― Attachment of oil, flotation agents and other organic

> Fouling effect created by

― Large organic molecules

― Small organic molecules

> Large molecules

― Adsorb mainly on the outside surface

― Significant reduction of the surface area

― Reduction in activity of the carbon

> Small molecules

― Carbon activity drop

― Gold recovery drop