Industrial utilization of arsenic-containing gold dressing tailings as pellet prepared by straight grate process

The utilization of arsenic-containing gold dressing tailings is an urgent issue faced by gold production companies worldwide.The thermodynamic analysis results indicate that ferrous arsenate(FeAsO_(4)),pyrite(FeS_(2))and sodium cyanide(NaCN)in the arsenic-containing gold metallurgical tailings can be effectively removed using straight grate process,and the removal of pyrite and sodium cyanide is basically completed during the preheating stage,while the removal of ferrous arsenate requires the roasting stage.The pellets undergo a transformation from magnetite to hematite during the preheating process,and are solidified through micro-crystalline bonding and high-temperature recrystallization of hematite(Fe_(2)O_(3))during the roasting process.Ultimately,pellets with removal rates of 80.77% for arsenic,88.78% for sulfur,and 99.88% for cyanide are obtained,as well as the iron content is 61.1% and the compressive strength is 3071 N,meeting the requirements for blast furnace burden.This study provides an industrially feasible method for treating arsenic-containing gold smelting tailings,benefiting gold production enterprises.

Extraction of arsenic from arsenic-containing cobalt and nickel slag and preparation of arsenic-bearing compounds

The arsenic extraction from the arsenic-containing cobalt and nickel slag,which came from the purification process of zinc sulfate solution in a zinc smelting factory,was investigated.The alkaline leaching method was proposed according to the mode of occurrence of arsenic in the slag and its amphoteric characteristic.The leaching experiments were conducted in the alkaline aqueous medium,with bubbling of oxygen into the solution,and the optimal conditions for leaching arsenic were determined.The results showed that the extraction rate of arsenic was maximized at 99.10%under the optimal conditions of temperature 140 ℃,NaOH concentration 150 g/L,oxygen partial pressure 0.5 MPa,and a liquid-to-solid ratio 5：1.Based on the solubilities of As2O5,ZnO and PbO in NaOH solution at 25 ℃,a method for the separation of As in the form of sodium arsenate salt from the arsenic-rich leachate via cooling crystallization was established,and the reaction medium could be fully recycled.The crystallization rate was confirmed to reach 88.9%（calculated on the basis of Na3AsO4） upon a direct cooling of the hot leachate down to room temperature.On the basis of redox potentials,the sodium arsenate solution could be further reduced by sulfur dioxide（SO2） gas to arsenite,at a reduction yield of 92%under the suitable conditions.Arsenic trioxide with regular octahedron shape could be prepared successfully from the reduced solution,and further recycled to the purification process to purify the zinc sulfate solution.Also,sodium arsenite solution obtained after the reduction of arsenate could be directly used to purify the zinc sulfate solution.Therefore,the technical scheme of alkaline leaching with pressured oxygen,cooling crystallization,arsenate reduction by SO2 gas,and arsenic trioxide preparation,provides an attractive approach to realize the resource utilization of arsenic-containing cobalt and nickel slag.

Electrodeposition of As-Sb alloy from high arsenic-containing solutions

As-Sb alloy was electrodeposited from high arsenic-containing solutions. The influences of current density, Sb（3＋） concentration, reaction temperature and HCl concentration on the electrolyte composition, cell voltage and current efficiency were investigated. The surface morphology, composition and structure of the deposits were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry（ICP-MS） and X-ray diffraction（XRD）, respectively. The results show that the prepared As-Sb alloy shows an amorphous structure under all conditions. Under the optimized condition, i.e., 10 g/L As（3＋）, 2 g/L Sb（3＋）, 4 mol/L HCl, current density of 4 mA/cm2 and temperature of 20 °C, desired As-Sb alloy with a composition of 70.26% As and 29.74% Sb（mass fraction） is obtained. What is more, the current efficiency is as high as 94.74% and high arsenic removal rate is achieved under this condition.

Effect of chloride ion on bacterial pre-oxidation of arsenic-containing gold concentrate

The bacterial pre-oxidation process of arsenic-containing gold concentrates and the bacterial activity under different chloride ion concentrations were studied by using a mixture of thermophilic strains TCJ domesticated in production.The experimental result shows that with different samples and leaching systems,the adaptability and Cl- tolerance of bacteria are different,and that appropriate chloride ion concentration is conductive to bacterial oxidation,while higher chloride ion concentration will inhibit the bacterial activity and affect the pre-oxidation performance.Under the present production conditions,TCJ can adapt to the changes of water quality in the source of water and its critical chloride ion tolerance value is 2.7 g/L.

Influence of surfactants on bioleaching of arsenic-containing gold concentrate

To shorten the bioleaching cycle of arsenic-containing gold concentrate, surfactants were used to promote the interaction between bacteria and ore to increase the arsenic leaching rate. Three different kinds of surfactants were used to evaluate the effects of surfactants on the growth of bacteria and arsenic leaching rate of arsenic-containing gold concentrate. The mechanism underlying surfactant enhancement was also studied. Results show that when relatively low-concentration surfactants are added to the medium, no significant difference is observed in the growth and Fe2+ oxidation ability of the bacteria compared with no surfactant in the medium. However, only the anionic surfactant calcium lignosulfonate and the nonionic surfactant Tween 80 are found to improve the arsenic leaching rates. Their optimum mass concentrations are 30 and 80 mg/L, respectively. At such optimum mass concentrations, the arsenic leaching rates are approximately 13.7% and 9.1% higher than those without the addition of surfactant, respectively. Mechanism research reveals that adding the anionic surfactant calcium lignosulfonate improves the percentage of bacterial adhesion on the mineral surface and decreases the surface tension in the leaching solution.

Removal of arsenic from acid wastewater via sulfide precipitation and its hydrothermal mineralization stabilization

To achieve a safe treatment of arsenic-containing acid wastewater,a new process was proposed,including arsenic removal via sulfide precipitation and hydrothermal mineralization stabilization.Under optimal conditions of sulfide precipitation,99.65%of arsenic from wastewater was precipitated in the form of amorphous As2S3.The As leaching concentration of amorphous As2S3 in TCLP(toxicity characteristic leaching procedure)test was up to 212.97 mg/L,therefore,hydrothermal mineralization was adopted to improve the stability of amorphous As2S3.The results showed that the As leaching concentration of mineralized As2S3 was only 4.82 mg/L.Furthermore,the amorphous As2S3 could be transformed into crystallized As2S3(orpiment)in the presence of mineralizer Na2SO4.Simultaneously,the As leaching concentration of crystallized As2S3 was further reduced to 3.86 mg/L.Hydrothermal mineralization was an effective method for the stabilization of As2S3.Therefore,this process has a greater application in the treatment of arsenic-containing wastewater.

High-rate removal of As(Ⅲ) from aqueous system with sulfhydryl magnetic biological bamboo charcoal nanocomposites prepared by chemical co-precipitation method

Sulfhydryl magnetic biological bamboo charcoal nanocomposite(BBC@nFe-SH)was prepared by chemical co-precipitation method for the robust capture of As(Ⅲ)from aqueous solutions.The novel BBC@nFe-SH shows favorable magnetic field strength(83376 A/m),which enables BBC@nFe-SH to be quickly recovered from aqueous solution.The maximum As(Ⅲ)adsorption capacity is as high as 98.63 mg/g at pH 5.0 and 40°C,reaching reaction equilibrium within 120 min.Various characterizations(e.g.,SEM,FTIR,VSM and XPS)suggest that As(Ⅲ)prefers to coordinate with surface oxygen groups bonded to the surface.BBC@nFe-SH displayed high stability and recyclability throughout the removal process,which could be easily activated by 1 mol/L NaOH after usage.Thus,the novel BBC@nFe-SH has promising applications for As(Ⅲ)treatment.