Hydrometallurgy: Leaching in Heap, Vat, CIL, CIP, Merrill–Crowe, SX Solvent Extraction

Hydrometallurgy: Leaching in Heap, Vat, CIL, CIP, Merrill–Crowe, SX Solvent Extraction

  • To participate in the 911Metallurgist Forums, be sure to JOINLOGIN
  • Use Add New Topic to ask a New Question/Discussion about Hydrometallurgy.
  • OR Select a Topic that Interests you.
  • Use Add Reply = to Reply/Participate in a Topic/Discussion (most frequent).
    Using Add Reply allows you to Attach Images or PDF files and provide a more complete input.
  • Use Add Comment = to comment on someone else’s Reply in an already active Topic/Discussion.

Vat leaching misbehaving (6 replies)

E
evakahwili
8 years ago
evakahwili 8 years ago

Hello friends,

Can someone please help me with the reason why leach solution turned blue in a vat leach tank and the possible solutions to it.

https://www.911metallurgist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG-20161001-WA0017.jpg
Charlie
8 years ago
Charlie 8 years ago

Are you leaching copper? Can you give any operating data?

R
Bhaduri
8 years ago
Bhaduri 8 years ago
1 like by David

It might be Prussian Blue created by incomplete pyrite oxidation to Fe+2 which in turn reacts w/CN to form the intense blue ferri-ferro cyanide complex...the color may persist & CN consumption will be high until you are free of sulfides in your feed...access the following paper for more info: 

Dissolution behavior of iron cyanide (Prussian blue) in contaminated soils

Environ. Sci. Technol., 1992, 26 (9), pp 1832–1838
DOI: 10.1021/es00033a019
Publication Date: September 1992
J
Jorge
8 years ago
Jorge 8 years ago
1 like by David

I think, you should provide more information. It is important to know if the color of the pregnant solution was similar or different in the previous treatment campaigns. Apparently, your vat leaching plant treats oxide copper ores, try to review the copper feed grade. If the vat leaching process received a high grade material, the solution color would be dark blue. For that reason you should review the historical information.

Some copper leaching operations prepare pregnant solutions of different copper content. The idea is to have a preliminary idea on the copper dissolution and the mill feed grade. This is a comparative analysis based on the solution color. 

Other point to keep in mind is the sulphuric acid consumption. If the consumption is higher and the gangue minerals are similar to the previous campaigns, and the copper grade is higher, you will need more acid.  Copper dissolved is the actual (or expected) amount of Cu dissolved during the vat leaching process based on the leach performance data. It takes into consideration variations in head grade and would allow for significant reduction of the leach cycle for the current head grades.

 

kahonde
7 years ago
kahonde 7 years ago

this is an Fe-S-Au ore.

C
Launcher27
6 years ago
Launcher27 6 years ago
 

I also experienced this. How much is the acceptable cynide strenght  acceptable in a running solution during gold vat leaching. On a different note can someone assist me if it is a requirement to add caustic soda in a vat leach process of gold with NaCN.

C
Launcher27
6 years ago
Launcher27 6 years ago

This deep blue was coming from my tank with a heavy blue foam weakening the cynide.

img-20180502-wa0001
https://www.911metallurgist.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG-20180502-WA0001.jpg

Please join and login to participate and leave a comment.