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Solvent extraction of gold(I) from alkaline cyanide solution by dibutylcarbitol (DBC) with n ‐octanol
Author(s) -
Lu Pan
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.1966
Subject(s) - cyanide , extraction (chemistry) , stripping (fiber) , chemistry , aqueous solution , aqueous two phase system , dbc , diluent , gold extraction , octanol , solvent , phase (matter) , toluene , sodium sulfite , sodium cyanide , nuclear chemistry , inorganic chemistry , sodium , chromatography , partition coefficient , materials science , organic chemistry , optoelectronics , cmos , composite material
Abstract BACKGROUND: Currently, cyanidisation is preferred for the extraction of gold because it has a number of advantages over other methods. Gold(I) can be extracted with various extractants, but there are no reports on the extraction of gold(I) from cyanide solution by dibutylcarbitol (DBC). In this work the extraction of gold(I) from alkaline cyanide solution using DBC with n ‐octanol was studied. Several factors affecting the percentage extraction of gold(I), including DBC concentration, diluent concentration, equilibrium time, phase ratio, pH and gold concentration in aqueous phase, were investigated. RESULTS: The results showed that 96.2% of gold(I) could be extracted using an organic phase composed of 40% (v/v) DBC, 50% (v/v) n ‐octanol and 10% (v/v) odourless kerosene. The extraction was quite fast and equilibrium could be established within 2 min. Stripping of the gold‐laden organic phase was carried out using sodium sulfite (Na 2 SO 3 ) and sodium thiosulfate (Na 2 S 2 O 3 ) solutions, with Na 2 S 2 O 3 proving better than Na 2 SO 3 . The percentage stripping of gold(I) was 96.5% when the Na 2 S 2 O 3 concentration was 4% (w/w), and the stripping capacity of gold(I) exceeded 311.3 mg L −1 when the phase ratio (A/O) was equal to 0.2. CONCLUSION: Gold(I) can be extracted from aqueous cyanide solution by DBC in the presence of n ‐octanol and efficiently stripped by aqueous Na 2 S 2 O 3 solution. This method has the potential for practical application in the extraction and separation of gold. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry