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Extraction of silver from a refractory silver ore by sono-cyanidation
Emin Cafer Cilek1, Hasan Ciftci1, Sermin Goksu Karagoz2
1Department of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, S. Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey.
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry
|January 20, 2020
Summary
Ultrasound-assisted cyanidation significantly enhances silver extraction from refractory ores. This sono-cyanidation process can reduce extraction time by 50%, boosting plant capacity by 100%.
Area of Science:
- Metallurgical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Refractory silver ores containing native silver and silver sulfides pose extraction challenges.
- Traditional cyanidation methods can be time-consuming and less efficient for these complex ores.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of ultrasound on silver extraction efficiency from refractory silver ores.
- To optimize operating parameters for sono-cyanidation and compare it with direct cyanidation.
Main Methods:
- A two-level fractional factorial experimental design was employed to study key parameters: pulp density, ultrasonic frequency, cyanide concentration, airflow rate, and agitation speed.
- Sono-cyanidation tests were compared with direct cyanidation tests under identical conditions.
- Silver dissolution kinetics were analyzed using shrinking core models.
Main Results:
- Sono-cyanidation achieved higher overall extraction yields (67-90%) compared to direct cyanidation (63-80%) within 48 hours.
- Ultrasonic frequency showed a negligible effect on silver recovery.
- 24-hour sono-cyanidation yielded comparable results to 48-hour direct cyanidation, indicating a significant reduction in processing time.
Conclusions:
- Sono-cyanidation offers a substantial improvement in silver extraction efficiency and time reduction for refractory ores.
- The process can potentially reduce cyanidation time by up to 50% or double plant capacity.
- Silver dissolution kinetics are accurately described by a two-stage, porous layer diffusion-controlled shrinking core model.
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