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Li J, Sun C, Wang P, Kou J. Selective gold extraction from electronic waste using high-temperature-synthesized reagents. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:6929-6943. [PMID: 38157179 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31259-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
For over two hundred years, cyanide has served as the primary reagent for gold extraction. However, due to its high toxicity, the use of cyanide poses significant risks. Traditional low-toxicity leaching reagents have limitations that restrict their widespread industrial application, leading to the necessity for the development of new, efficient, and low-toxic gold leaching reagents to support sustainable gold production. In this study, a novel, efficient, and low-toxicity gold extraction reagent was synthesized at high temperatures by combining urea, sodium carbonate, and a specific iron salt. The research delved into the leaching ability of the reagent under different synthesis conditions and examined the generation of free cyanide content as a by-product. Findings indicated that reagents synthesized with either potassium ferrocyanide or potassium ferricyanide displayed comparable leaching capabilities. Reagents synthesized at 800 °C exhibited lower levels of free cyanide ions and reduced toxicity. Additionally, this reagent demonstrated exceptional selectivity for gold, while in minimal dissolution of copper, iron, nickel, lead, and iron from computer central processing unit (CPU) pins. Under optimal conditions, the efficiency of gold extraction from CPU pins reached 94.65%. Hence, this reagent holds significant potential for the low-toxicity extraction of gold from electronic waste or auriferous concentrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinlin Li
- School of Civil and Resource Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Chunbao Sun
- School of Civil and Resource Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education of China for High-Efficient Mining and Safety of Metal Mines, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Peilong Wang
- School of Civil and Resource Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education of China for High-Efficient Mining and Safety of Metal Mines, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jue Kou
- School of Civil and Resource Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education of China for High-Efficient Mining and Safety of Metal Mines, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
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Azizitorghabeh A, Mahandra H, Ramsay J, Ghahreman A. Gold Leaching from an Oxide Ore Using Thiocyanate as a Lixiviant: Process Optimization and Kinetics. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:17183-17193. [PMID: 34278105 PMCID: PMC8280645 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c00525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Thiocyanate (SCN-) is a promising alternative to cyanide as a lixiviant for gold extraction and is 1000 times less toxic than cyanide. In this study, the following leaching parameters were tested to optimize the gold recovery for the first time from an oxide ore using the response surface methodology: initial thiocyanate concentration (10-500 mM), initial Fe3+ concentration (10-500 mM), and pulp density (10-50% w/v). The maximum gold recovery (96%) was achieved with 500 mM thiocyanate, 100 mM Fe3+, and 50% pulp density at 25 °C and pH = 2 for 24 h. A kinetic study on the optimum leaching condition showed that it followed the shrinking core model, in which the rate-controlling mechanism was the diffusion process. These results are discussed in the context of the published literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atefeh Azizitorghabeh
- Hydrometallurgy
and Environment Laboratory, Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining, Queen’s University, 25 Union Street, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Harshit Mahandra
- Hydrometallurgy
and Environment Laboratory, Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining, Queen’s University, 25 Union Street, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Juliana Ramsay
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Queen’s
University, 19 Division
Street, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Ahmad Ghahreman
- Hydrometallurgy
and Environment Laboratory, Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining, Queen’s University, 25 Union Street, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
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Wu H, Feng Y, Li H, Li H, Ju J. Effect of sodium carbonate on alkaline self-leaching of gold from flotation gold ore. Sep Purif Technol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2020.117499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Adams CR, Porter CP, Robshaw TJ, Bezzina JP, Shields VR, Hides A, Bruce R, Ogden MD. An alternative to cyanide leaching of waste activated carbon ash for gold and silver recovery via synergistic dual-lixiviant treatment. J IND ENG CHEM 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jiec.2020.08.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Gold anode corrosion in aqueous solution of 1,2-diaminopropane with formation of colloidal gold nanoparticles. Russ Chem Bull 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s11172-020-2974-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Yang M, Wang W, Qiu J, Bai M, Xia Y. Direct Visualization and Semi‐Quantitative Analysis of Payload Loading in the Case of Gold Nanocages. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201911163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Miaoxin Yang
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 30332 USA
| | - Wenxia Wang
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University Atlanta GA 30332 USA
| | - Jichuan Qiu
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University Atlanta GA 30332 USA
| | - Meng‐Yi Bai
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering National Taiwan University of Science and Technology Taipei, Taiwan 10673 R. O. C
| | - Younan Xia
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 30332 USA
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University Atlanta GA 30332 USA
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Yang M, Wang W, Qiu J, Bai MY, Xia Y. Direct Visualization and Semi-Quantitative Analysis of Payload Loading in the Case of Gold Nanocages. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:17671-17674. [PMID: 31545542 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201911163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Upon incubation with Au nanocages, pyrrole (Py) molecules can enter the cavities by diffusing through the porous walls and then be polymerized to generate a polypyrrole (PPy) coating on the inner surface. The thicknesses of the PPy coating can serve as a direct indicator for the amount of Py molecules that diffuse into the cavity. Py molecules are able to diffuse into the cavities throughout the polymerization process, while a prolonged incubation time increases the amount of Py accumulated on both inner and outer surfaces of the nanocages. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the dimensions of the cavity and the size of the pores in the wall are not critical parameters in determining the loading efficiency, as they do not affect the thickness of the PPy coating on the inner surface. These findings offer direct evidence to support the applications of Au nanocages as carriers for drug delivery and controlled release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaoxin Yang
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Wenxia Wang
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Jichuan Qiu
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Meng-Yi Bai
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, 10673, R. O. C
| | - Younan Xia
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.,The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
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Rajesh S, Bose AB. Development of Graphene Oxide Framework Membranes via the "from" and "to" Cross-Linking Approach for Ion-Selective Separations. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:27706-27716. [PMID: 31305985 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b05465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Graphene oxide (GO) membranes with well-defined nanochannels formed between the stacked GO nanosheets find great interest in molecular separations. However, GO membranes are unstable in aqueous solution environments because of weak interactions between the stacked nanosheets. Herein, we developed a preparation method by diminishing the self-contained oxidized functional groups in GO and subsequent cross-linking to form GO framework (GOF) membranes with excellent aqueous solution stability. GOF membranes were fabricated by alternate deposition of branched polyethylenimine (BPEI) and a mixed solution of GO and thiourea (TU). Structural elucidation illustrated that the TU partially reduced the GO molecules and acted as a "to" cross-linker by bridging adjacent GO nanosheets through in-plane and out-of-plane of interactions. During the GO deposition, BPEI performed the role as a "from" cross-linker by binding the TU-linked GO laminates to form stable GOF membranes with well-defined nanochannels. Morphological studies confirmed the formation of the tightly packed structure for BPEI/GO_TU membranes due to the high Π-Π interactions between the GO nanosheets and bridging effect of TU. The GOF membranes exhibited a rejection of 99.5% for anionic dye methyl orange and cationic dye rhodamine B. The BPEI/GO_TU membranes fabricated from 12 bilayers using 0.25 mg/mL of GO solution have a pure water flux of 24 L m-2 h-1 and a Na2SO4 rejection of 94%; this permeability is 2.5 times higher than that of commercial nanofiltration membranes. Moreover, (BPEI/GO_TU)12 GOF membranes exhibited excellent aqueous solution stability in acidic and basic conditions. The excellent separation performance and aqueous solution stability of the BPEI/GO_TU membranes are intricately linked to the partial reduction and cross-linking of GO nanosheets in GOF membranes. Thus, the "from" and "to" cross-linking approach developed in this work can be extended for the fabrication of structurally stable membranes from other 2D materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahadevan Rajesh
- Department of Engineering Technology and Texas Center for Superconductivity (TcSUH) , University of Houston , Houston , Texas 77204 , United States
| | - Anima B Bose
- Department of Engineering Technology and Texas Center for Superconductivity (TcSUH) , University of Houston , Houston , Texas 77204 , United States
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Birich A, Stopic S, Friedrich B. Kinetic Investigation and Dissolution Behavior of Cyanide Alternative Gold Leaching Reagents. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7191. [PMID: 31076593 PMCID: PMC6510756 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43383-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Raising social awareness and environmental specifications on cyanide application force gold industry to search for alternative leaching reagents. Therefore, researchers worldwide investigate cyanide alternatives for gold recovery since several decades. Often the research activities cannot be compared directly, since different input materials and experimental conditions are used. Over the course of this study, different promising cyanide alternative reagents were investigated in terms of their capability of pure gold dissolution at different temperatures. All experiments took place under identical conditions by using uniform samples of 99.99% gold disks, to enable a comparability. Thiosulfate as one of the most promising reagent thiosulfate according to literature revealed an insufficient leaching behavior. The gold dissolution was hindered due to the formation of a sulfide passive layer. Also in the thiourea trials, a surface precipitation took place, though gold dissolution did not stop. The halogens iodine, bromine and the well-known gold solvent aqua regia dissolved gold very fast (up to ~1,000 mg·h−1·cm−2). Methanosulfonic acid (MSA) was not capable to extract any gold. The experiments were compared with cyanide trials at identical conditions. The average dissolution rate of investigated reagents at 25 °C shows following order: aqua regia > iodine > bromine > cyanide > thiourea > thiosulfate > MSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Birich
- Institute of Process Metallurgy and Metal Recycling, RWTH-Aachen University, Intzestr. 3, 52056, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Srecko Stopic
- Institute of Process Metallurgy and Metal Recycling, RWTH-Aachen University, Intzestr. 3, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Bernd Friedrich
- Institute of Process Metallurgy and Metal Recycling, RWTH-Aachen University, Intzestr. 3, 52056, Aachen, Germany
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Vedenyapina MD, Kuznetsov VV, Rodikova DI, Makhova NN, Vedenyapin AA. Anodic corrosion of gold in solutions of diaminoalkanes. MENDELEEV COMMUNICATIONS 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mencom.2018.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Popescu IA, Varga T, Egedy A, Fogarasi S, Ilea P. Experimental Study and Mathematical Modeling of Metals Dissolution from LCD Boards in Na2S2O8Environment. CHEM ENG COMMUN 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/00986445.2016.1241949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Simakova AP, Vedenyapina MD, Kuznetsov VV, Makhova NN, Vedenyapin AA. Kinetics and mechanism of the anodic dissolution of gold in solutions of 1,5-diazabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane and its precursors. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A 2014. [DOI: 10.1134/s0036024414020241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Comparative EIS study of the adsorption and electro-oxidation of thiourea and tetramethylthiourea on gold electrodes. J APPL ELECTROCHEM 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10800-013-0621-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Smith SR, Guerra E, Siemann S, Shepherd JL. Au dissolution during the anodic response of short-chain alkylthiols with polycrystalline Au electrodes. Electrochim Acta 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2011.06.092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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