publisher: Elsevier articletitle: The application of deep eutectic solvent ionic liquids for environmentally-friendly dissolution and recovery of precious metals journaltitle: Minerals Engineering articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2015.09.026 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Abbott

Ahmed Z.M. Al-Bassam

Andrew P. Abbott

Chapman

Christopher J. Stanley

Curtis

Daniel J. Smith

David A. Holwell

Dominy

Dong

Gawen R.T. Jenkin

Groen

Hill

Luczak

Robert C. Harris

Robert J. Chapman

Schouwstra

Smith

Spry

Vaughan

Wadsworth

Whitehead

Woodhouse

Zhang

Minerals Engineering

English

The processing of ore by hydrometallurgy or pyrometallurgy typically has a high energy demand, and associated release of carbon dioxide. Thus there is a need to develop more energy-efficient and environmentally-compatible processes. This article demonstrates that deep eutectic solvent (DES) ionic liquids provide one such method since they can be used to selectively dissolve and recover native gold and tellurium, sulphides and tellurides.



Ionic liquids are anhydrous salts that are liquid at low temperature. They are powerful solvents and electrolytes with potential for high selectivity in both dissolution and recovery. Deep eutectic solvents are a form of ionic liquid that are mixtures of salts such as choline chloride with hydrogen-bond donors such as urea. DESs are environmentally benign, yet chemically stable and, furthermore, the components are already produced in large quantities at comparable costs to conventional reagents.



Electrum, galena and chalcopyrite, as well as tellurobismuthite (Bi2Te3), were soluble in DES through an oxidative leach at 45–50 °C. Leaching rates determined by a novel technique employing an optical profiler were very favourable in comparison to the current industrial process of cyanidation. Pyrite was notably insoluble by an oxidative leach. However, pyrite, and indeed any other sulphide, could be selectively dissolved by electrolysis in a DES, thus suggesting a protocol whereby target inclusions could be liberated by electrolysis and then dissolved by subsequent oxidation.



Ionometallurgy could thus offer a new set of environmentally-benign process for metallurgy

Jenkin, GRT

Al-Bassam, AZM

Harris, RC

Abbott, AP

Smith, DJ

Holwell, DA

Chapman, RJ

Stanley, CJ

White Rose Research Online

The application of deep eutectic solvent ionic liquids for environmentally-friendly dissolution and recovery of precious metals

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: The application of deep eutectic solvent ionic liquids for environmentally-friendly dissolution and recovery of precious metals journaltitle: Minerals Engineering articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2015.09.026 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.NHM Repositor

Stanley, Christopher

Natural History Museum Repository

Application of 1-alkyl-3-methyl-imidazolium ionic liquids in the oxidative leaching of sulphidic copper, gold and silver ores.

Comparative leaching of a sulfidic gold ore in ionic liquid and aqueous acid with thiourea and halides using Fe(III) or HSO5 oxidant.

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and their applications.

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The processing of ore by hydrometallurgy or pyrometallurgy typically has a high energy demand, and associated release of carbon dioxide. Thus there is a need to develop more energy-efficient and environmentally-compatible processes. This article demonstrates that deep eutectic solvent (DES) ionic liquids provide one such method since they can be used to selectively dissolve and recover native gold and tellurium, sulphides and tellurides. Ionic liquids are anhydrous salts that are liquid at low temperature. They are powerful solvents and electrolytes with potential for high selectivity in both dissolution and recovery. Deep eutectic solvents are a form of ionic liquid that are mixtures of salts such as choline chloride with hydrogen-bond donors such as urea. DESs are environmentally benign, yet chemically stable and, furthermore, the components are already produced in large quantities at comparable costs to conventional reagents. Electrum, galena and chalcopyrite, as well as tellurobismuthite (Bi₂Te₃), were soluble in DES through an oxidative leach at 45–50 °C. Leaching rates determined by a novel technique employing an optical profiler were very favourable in comparison to the current industrial process of cyanidation. Pyrite was notably insoluble by an oxidative leach. However, pyrite, and indeed any other sulphide, could be selectively dissolved by electrolysis in a DES, thus suggesting a protocol whereby target inclusions could be liberated by electrolysis and then dissolved by subsequent oxidation. Ionometallurgy could thus offer a new set of environmentally-benign process for metallurgy

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The application of deep eutectic solvent ionic liquids for environmentally-friendly dissolution and recovery of precious metals

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