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Download The THIOSULFATE LEACHING OF NATURAL ACANTHITE ORE IN COPPER- AMMONIA-AMMONIUM SULFATE MEDIUM by Yueh (Yves) Lai B.Sc., University of Alberta, 2014 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF APPLIED SCIENCE in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Materials Engineering) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2017 © Yueh (Yves) Lai, 2017 Abstract Silver is commonly present in acanthite in nature. Reagents like cyanide are used to extract silver from acanthite ores. However, cyanide can potentially damage human health and environment. The use of cyanide is tightly regulated, thus forcing the industry to seek for alternatives. Thiosulfate is currently the most promising alternative. The leaching chemistry of silver with thiosulfate is complex and maybe supplemented with additives such as ammonia, copper and even ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. The efficiency of silver leaching is improved with the use of these additives. The use of cyanide for silver leaching in Navidad project in Argentina is not permitted, so the use of thiosulfate leaching as an alternative was investigated. The application of thiosulfate leaching to Navidad ores containing acanthite was the focus of this thesis. This thesis provides experimental evidence that supports the use of thiosulfate with additives as a promising alternative to conventional cyanidation method for the Navidad deposits and for similar deposits, wherever found. Thiosulfate leaching of silver is known for two pathways: silver in acanthite is substituted by cupric or by cuprous ion. The cupric pathway is thermodynamically more favourable, but various factors may affect extraction. Batch leaching tests showed that Navidad ore samples may be leached using thiosulfate, with silver extraction affected by variables including thiosulfate concentration, ammonia concentration, initial copper addition, pH, temperature, EDTA addition and the presence or absence of air sparging. The most significant variables were thiosulfate ii concentration, ammonia concentration, copper addition and pH. Cyanidation yielded 91.2% extraction of silver from a sample of Loma de la Plata, and thiosulfate leaching with 0.2 M of thiosulfate and 1.0 M of ammonia yielded comparable extractions: 92.1% and 87.0%, respectively. Initial copper addition increases extraction rate from 66.2% to 72.3% after 72 hours, and air sparging increases extraction rate to 84.8% after 72 hours. Other samples from the Navidad Project were also tested and found to be amenable to thiosulfate leaching. LDLPMC and Connector Zone (CZMC) sample were found to have potential for thiosulfate leaching to achieve a high silver extraction. iii Preface This thesis is original, unpublished, independent work by the author, Yueh (Yves) Lai. iv Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ........................................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ...........................................................................................................................v List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ ix List of Figures .................................................................................................................................x List of Symbols and Abbreviations .......................................................................................... xix Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... xxi Dedication ................................................................................................................................. xxiii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................1 Chapter 2: Background and Literature Review .........................................................................4 2.1 Silver and Human Society .............................................................................................. 4 2.1.1 Silver in History .......................................................................................................... 4 2.1.2 Silver in Contemporary Society .................................................................................. 5 2.2 Silver Production from Minerals .................................................................................... 6 2.2.1 Mineralogy of Silver Ore ............................................................................................ 6 2.2.2 Leaching of Silver with Cyanide ................................................................................ 7 2.2.3 Leaching of Silver with Alternatives to Cyanide ........................................................ 9 2.2.4 Leaching of Silver with Thiosulfate ......................................................................... 11 2.3 Cupric-Ammonia Thiosulfate Leaching Systems ......................................................... 12 2.3.1 Chemistry of Cupric-Ammonia Thiosulfate Leaching System ................................ 13 2.3.2 Application to Leaching of Silver Sulfide ................................................................ 24 v 2.3.3 Consumption of Copper and Thiosulfate .................................................................. 29 2.4 Alternative Thiosulfate Leaching Systems ................................................................... 35 2.4.1 Cupric Thiosulfate Leaching without Ammonia ...................................................... 35 2.4.2 Cupric-Ammonia Thiosulfate Leaching with addition of EDTA ............................. 35 2.5 Recovery of Silver from Thiosulfate Leaching Solution .............................................. 37 2.6 Acanthite in Navidad Samples in Chubut Province, Argentina .................................... 39 2.6.1 Mineralogy of Acanthite ........................................................................................... 39 2.6.2 Geology of Navidad Project...................................................................................... 40 Chapter 3: Preparation for Leaching of Acanthite ..................................................................42 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 42 3.2 Preparation of Ore Samples .......................................................................................... 42 3.2.1 Determination of Particle Size Distribution of Original Samples ............................ 42 3.2.2 Wet Grinding ............................................................................................................ 47 3.3 Methodology for Leaching Test.................................................................................... 49 3.4 Analytical Methods ....................................................................................................... 50 Chapter 4: Leaching of Natural Acanthite ................................................................................56 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 56 4.2 Results of Preliminary Tests ......................................................................................... 58 4.3 Cyanidation ................................................................................................................... 67 4.3.1 Preliminary Cyanidation ........................................................................................... 67 4.3.2 Cyanidation with Adjusted Setup ............................................................................. 70 4.4 Thiosulfate Leaching Tests ........................................................................................... 73 4.4.1 Reproducibility of Tests ............................................................................................ 75 vi 4.4.2 Initial Concentration of Thiosulfate .......................................................................... 82 4.4.3 Initial Concentration of Total Ammonia................................................................... 88 4.4.4 Initial pH ................................................................................................................... 93 4.4.5 Temperature .............................................................................................................. 98 4.4.6 Initial Copper Addition ........................................................................................... 103 4.4.7 Air Sparging ............................................................................................................ 108 4.4.8 EDTA ...................................................................................................................... 113 4.4.9 Different Ore Samples ............................................................................................ 118 4.4.10 XRD Phase Analysis ........................................................................................... 125 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations .....................................................................129
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