Mining Applications
PSI Resins can be used to recover base and precious metals from a variety of acidic liquor streams found in the Mining Industry. High selectivity for target metals often results in clean separations between metal values and impurities.
PSI products have operational capabilities of pH 0 upwards and process liquor temperatures of up to 110°C. They are suited to primary metals recovery or impurity metals removal from acidic leach liquors and bleed streams that are common in the mining industry.
The resin range is designed around the rejection of sodium, potassium and calcium +2 ions while being selective for various target metals such as nickel, copper, cobalt, ferric iron and ferrous iron. Due to the wide pH range, temperature tolerance and product physical stability, the products may be used for removal of primary metals from process liquors originating from pressure acid leach, pressure oxidative leach, acidic leach, heap leach and bacterial leach. The removal of transition metal impurities, such as chromium, manganese, zinc and other heavy metals, is possible from value metal process streams.
In many cases, downstream metals recovery by EW to LME purity is achievable. Alternatively, metals may be recovered as a high purity sulphate, nitrate or chloride chemicals.
With reductions in capital and operating process costs made possible by the unique properties of the PSI resin range, ion exchange can compete effectively with solvent extraction without any of the environmental and fire hazard associated with SX. The resin technology is also well suited for metals recovery from SX rafinate and bleeds streams.
PSI RESINS IN MINING
- Operating range for selective metal recovery = pH 0 - 3.5
- Recover copper, nickel, cobalt and PGMs from 0.01 - 10g/l feed liquors (resin, liquor matrix and pH dependent)
- Reject ferric and ferrous iron, Al, Zn, Ca, Mg, Na, K (resin and pH dependent)
- Liquor flows 10 - 1000m3/hr using fixed bed and carousel systems
- Reliable, simple, safe processing
PSI APPLICATIONS
Primary Metal Recovery from Heap, Vat or Bio Leach Liquors
- Copper and Nickel recovered from bio leach PLS. 100m3/hr double carousel process at pH2. PSI WP-4 used to recover copper followed by PSI WP-2 used to recover nickel. Clean metal carbonates produced.
- Nickel recovered from heap leach PLS. 250m3/hr carousel process at pH2. PSI WP-2 used to recover nickel and reject ferrous iron.
- Nickel and cobalt recovered from refinery EW discharge. 12m3/hr fixed bed system at pH2.
- Copper recovered from solvent extraction bleed stream. 500m3/hr carousel process at pH1.5.
- PGMs recovered from bleed stream. 5m3/hr fixed bed system at pH0.
- Nickel and cobalt recovered from refinery waste stream. 800m3/hr fixed bed system at pH 3.5. WP-2 used to recover nickel and cobalt to produce saleable metal carbonates. Heavy metals removed from waste stream.