Characterization of the high temperature caustic conditioning process for optimized gold recovery from double refractory ores

dc.contributor.advisorSandenbergh, R.F.
dc.contributor.emailruan.pieterse87@gmail.comen_ZA
dc.contributor.postgraduatePieterse, Petrus Johannes
dc.date.accessioned2021-02-08T11:04:59Z
dc.date.available2021-02-08T11:04:59Z
dc.date.created2021
dc.date.issued2020
dc.descriptionDissertation (MEng (Metallurgical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2020.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractPreg-robbing gold ores reduce the gold recovered with conventional aqueous cyanide processing by adsorption of the leached gold onto the ore which is then lost to the residue. Many ore constituents adsorb gold in the form of aurodicyanide, with carbonaceous materials typically, and not unexpectedly, the most troublesome. This problem is addressed by adding the activated carbon used to recover the aurodicyanide earlier in the circuit to reduce the concentration of gold in solution available for adsorption on the preg-robbing carbon. Nonetheless, significant gold is still lost to preg-robbing carbon materials. Metso Outotec South Africa developed the HiTeCC (High-Temperature Caustic Conditioning) process through which some of the preg-robbed gold may be recovered. This process entails desorbing gold under high-temperature caustic conditions and then competitively adsorbing the gold onto fresh activated carbon. The success achieved to date with the HiTeCC process to recover gold suggests that preg-robbing is reversible under HiTeCC conditions. Developmental work has shown that not all preg-robbing ores are equally amenable to the process and the respective roles played by the caustic addition, temperature, and the activity and quantity of activated carbon are, not well understood. The aim with the present investigation was to resolve these issues by applying existing models for the adsorption and desorption of aurodicyanide on activated carbon and preg-robbing materials to the HiTeCC process. A simulation program was developed to support the evaluation of the potential and application of the HiTeCC process to extract additional gold from double refractory ores. As a result of this, the use of experimentally determined preg-robber sorption isotherms to predict preg-robbing behaviour has been demonstrated. The behaviour of preg-robbing adsorption has further been defined by comparing preg-robbing isotherms at varying temperature and adsorbate compositions.en_ZA
dc.description.availabilityUnrestricteden_ZA
dc.description.degreeMEng (Metallurgical Engineering)en_ZA
dc.description.departmentMaterials Science and Metallurgical Engineeringen_ZA
dc.identifier.citation*en_ZA
dc.identifier.otherA2021en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/78309
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherUniversity of Pretoria
dc.rights© 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
dc.subjectUCTDen_ZA
dc.subjectHigh-temperature caustic conditioning
dc.subjectGold recovery
dc.subjectCaustic conditioning process
dc.subjectRefractory gold ore processing
dc.subjectSustainable mining practices
dc.subject.otherEngineering, built environment and information technology theses SDG-04
dc.subject.otherSDG-04: Quality education
dc.subject.otherEngineering, built environment and information technology theses SDG-09
dc.subject.otherSDG-09: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
dc.subject.otherEngineering, built environment and information technology theses SDG-12
dc.subject.otherSDG-12: Responsible consumption and production
dc.subject.otherEngineering, built environment and information technology theses SDG-13
dc.subject.otherSDG-13: Climate action
dc.subject.otherEngineering, built environment and information technology theses SDG-15
dc.subject.otherSDG-15: Life on land
dc.titleCharacterization of the high temperature caustic conditioning process for optimized gold recovery from double refractory oresen_ZA
dc.typeDissertationen_ZA

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