Question 1:

Read the conference paper by Hedjazi et al.

A) Find the commercial membrane used in the pilot trial and calculate the membrane
resistance based on Darcy’s law.

The successful membrane from the pilot trial is the Lewabrane RO BO85 FR 4040 and anti-scalant
Spectraguard USA.

The membrane resistance is given by Darcy’s law which is:

dVp
dt
=Q=
Δp
μ
A
1
Rm + R ( )
Where Vp and Q are the volume of the permeate and its volumetric flowrate

μis the dynamic viscosity of the permeating fluid

A is the membrane area

Rm and R are the respective resistances of the membrane and the growing deposit of the foulants.
Rm can be interpreted as the membrane resistance of the solvent (water) permeation

Δ p is the pressure drop

(The resistance is the membranes intrinsic property, hence remains relatively constant despite the
varying pressure drop)

For the Lewabrane RO membrane:

Referring to the material data sheet, the area of the membrane is 7.9m2.

The average penetration rate is 8.9m3/day(24hrs) = 1.03m3/s

The viscosity of water is μ = 0.00089 Pa.s =0.0089P

The change in pressure is 1bar=1000000 Pa

Darcys law is as follows:

Q=
Δp
μ
A
1
(
Rm + R )
Rearrange for Rm, or the membrane resistance:

Δ pA
Rm = −R
μQ
R=0

Substituting our values to find the membrane resistance:

100000 ×7.9
Rm =
0.00089 × 1.03
8
Rm =8.61× 10
Now to calculate the osmotic pressure:

P=CRT
Where:

P= osmotic pressure

C= concentration of the solute in moles solute/kg solvent

R = gas constant

T = absolute temperature

First we have to calculate the concentration for the upper end:

3
1081× 10 g Cu/ L
C=
65.55 g
mol
0.0165 mol
C=
L
Therefore:

P=0.0165× 0.08314 × 298=0.4088 ¯¿

This is less than 1 bar (given) therefore the drop is not exceeded.

The sieving coefficient is given by:

CP
S=
Cf
This needs to be calculated for copper, gold as well as silver:

Assumption: will be using the average feed concentrations.

Copper:

Average feed concentration= 1049mg/L

11+33 mg
Permeate concentration average= =22
2 L
Therefore:

22
S= =0.021
1049
Gold:

0.22+0.24 mg
Average feed concentration= =0.23
2 L
 0.01+0.04 mg
Permeate concentration average= =0.025
2 L
Therefore:

0.025
S= =0.109
0.23

Silver:

0.65+0.69 mg
Average feed concentration= =0.67
2 L

mg
Permeate concentration average=0.67 × 0.03=0.0201
L
Therefore:

0.0201
S= =0.03
0.67
Question 2:

The chemical reaction for dissolution stage in the cyanide leaching of gold is as follows:

After a series of hydrometallurgical stages, zinc can be used to recover the metal from a

pre-concentrated solution.

In this process, zinc has a higher affinity for the cyanide ion than gold, forming Zn(CN)4 2- and
precipitating metallic gold.

(i) Write half equations and the corresponding overall equation for this reaction.
1) Au+ Zn ¿
−¿¿
2) 2 H 2 O+O 2 → 4 O H
3) Au+ Zn ¿

Half Equations:

2 Au ¿
−¿⇌ Zn¿¿
Zn+ 4 C N
Therefore the overall equation can be given by:

2 Au ¿

(ii) With reference to the following pH-potential diagram for a gold-cyanide-zinc-water

Using visual inspection it can be seen on the diagram where the pH range is thermodynamically
favorable. This is thus between 7.8 – 11 .

(iii) In practice, the range of pH for this process is not as large. With reference to the
 following pH-potential diagram for a gold-cyanide-water system, explain why.

The
suitable
reaction range
is from 9.3 –
11. There are
many
reasons as to
why the range
in
actuality is
narrower. For a
zinc-gold
reaction like
this the

narrowing down is based on the specific reactions, kinetics, stability of complexes, side reactions,
safety, environmental, and economic considerations that apply to the particular process in practice.

Relevance of Specific Reactions: The practical pH range is determined by the specific reactions that
occur during the gold recovery process using zinc. In the given process, zinc reacts with cyanide ions
to form Zn(CN)4^2- and precipitates metallic gold (Au). These reactions are influenced by the
availability of reactants and the thermodynamic feasibility of the reactions. The practical pH range is
limited to the conditions where these reactions are most favorable.

Reaction Kinetics: The kinetics of the reactions play a crucial role. Even if a reaction is
thermodynamically favorable over a wide pH range, it may not occur at a practical rate at all pH
values within that range. The practical pH range is often narrowed down to where the reactions
proceed at a reasonable rate for efficient gold recovery.

Environmental and Safety Considerations: The pH range chosen for the process may also take into
account environmental and safety concerns. Operating at very high or low pH values can pose
challenges in terms of chemical handling and waste management.

Economic Factors: The practical pH range may also be influenced by economic factors. Operating
conditions that require extreme pH adjustments can increase the cost of reagents and equipment,
making the process less economically viable.

Question 3:

Question 3 (25 marks)

The current density of a commercial electrowinning process is 250 A/m2.

(i) Find the energy consumption in producing copper in J/g and kWh/tonne. Assume
applied potential of 1.9V and 95% current efficiency.

𝐸=𝑉∗𝐼∗𝑡=1.9∗250∗1 = 475 𝐽/𝑚2 for each second

95% 𝐸𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 = 475*0.95 = 451.25 𝐽/𝑚2 for each second

M
𝑚= = 63.552∗96485 = 0.000330𝑔/C
n∗F

To find the charge that is passed through in a second the following can be done:

𝐼∗𝑡=250∗1=250𝐶

Therefore to find rhe mass of the copper deposisted for each second per meter squared, the
following eqaution can be used:

𝑚=250∗0.000330=0.0825𝑔 per 𝑚2 each second

Finally the energy per mass can be found by:

Energy
= 451.25 / 0.0825 = 5469.7 𝐽/𝑔 = 1519𝑘𝑊ℎ/𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒
mass

(ii) If cost of electricity is 8c/kWh, what is cost per tonne produced?

This can be found by performing a simple calculation:

𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 = 1519∗0.08 = $121.5/𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒

The cost per tonne of copper produced is $121.5

(iii) If there are 60 plates per cell and each is 1m x 1m in size, how much copper could a cell
produce in 1 year, at what cost (assume 97% availability). Both sides of each plate are
used

The total area of the cells can be found by doing:

A = 6o * 2 * 1 = 120 m^2

Considering this lasts for a year at 97% ability:

𝑡 = 0.97∗365∗24 = 8525 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 per 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟

Using the value deterimned before, the following calculations can be made:

𝑚 = 0.0825 𝑔/𝑚2 each second

Therefore, mass per cell per second = 0.0825 ∗ 120 = 9.9𝑔

The amount of mass deposited per year =9.9 ∗ 8525 ∗ 3600 = 3.038∗10^8𝑔 = 303.83 𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑠

Therefore, total cost per cell per year = 303.83 ∗ $121.5 = $36915.5