A conceptual flowsheet for heap leaching of platinum group metals (PGMs) from a low-grade ore concentrate

[en] This research proposes a new conceptual process to economically extract platinum group metals (PGMs), and as a secondary aim, base metals (BMs) from a low-grade concentrate originating from typical PGM concentrator plants. Slurry made from the concentrate was coated onto granite pebbles and packed into a column, in which it was bioleached with a mixed culture of thermophiles and mesophiles at 65 °C. After 30 days the extractions achieved were 52% copper, 95% nickel and 85% cobalt. The residual concentrate material was subsequently subjected to a cyanide leach also in a packed column operating at a room temperature of 23 °C. After 21 days 20.3% Pt, 87% Pd and 46% Rh were extracted. Using these results and projected extractions over longer operating times, a conceptual flowsheet was proposed for a possible process route to recover PGM values circumventing the problematic smelter route for this material.

Disciplines :

Chemical engineering

Author, co-author :

Mwase Malumbo, James ; Université de Liège > Département ArGEnCo > Traitement et recyclage des matières minérales

Petersen, Jochen

Eksteen, Jacques J.

Language :

English

Title :

A conceptual flowsheet for heap leaching of platinum group metals (PGMs) from a low-grade ore concentrate

Publication date :

January 2012

Journal title :

Hydrometallurgy

ISSN :

0304-386X

eISSN :

1879-1158

Publisher :

Elsevier Science

Volume :

111-112

Issue :

Pages :

129-135

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304386X11002350

Available on ORBi :

since 18 June 2017

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