INVESTIGATION OF THE SORPTION CHARACTERISTICS OF ACTIVATED CARBONS

Аннотация

The article presents the results of a comparison of the sorption characteristics for gold of crushed
activated carbon of the foreign Haycarb brand, obtained from expensive raw materials - coconut shells, and crushed
activated carbon of the domestic Shubarkol brand, obtained from relatively cheap raw materials - low-ash coking
coal. The activated carbon Shubarkol crushed to a class of -3.6+1.0 mm, was produced in Kazakhstan from coking
coal by Shubarkolkomir JSC. To test the crushed coal Shubarkol, industrial crushed coal Haycarb, made from
coconut shells, was used as a reference sample. This coal is widely used in gold mining enterprises for the sorption of
dissolved gold from cyanide solutions and pulps. For research, a productive solution of the process of heap leaching
of gold from oxidized ore of one of the deposits of Kazakhstan was used with the composition, mg/L: gold 0.82;
silver 0.44; copper 8.34; pH 11.05. Determination of the sorption characteristics of coals was carried out by the
method of saturation with gold when changing solutions. The results of changes in the gold content in the mother
solution, its extraction and saturation of coals with precious metal after each sorption cycle from the productive heap
leaching solution using crushed coals of the Shubarkol and Haycarb brands are presented. It follows from the
obtained data that Shubarkol activated carbon has similar sorption characteristics compared to Haycarb activated
carbon. The working capacity for gold of Shubarkol coal was 2.28 kg/ton of sorbent, and of Haycarb coal - 2.57
kg/ton. Thus, crushed coal Shubarkol, obtained from relatively cheap raw materials, can be successfully used at
industrial facilities instead of foreign sorbent