This research aims to evaluate lead recovery from cupels used in the fire assay method at the Instituto de Minerales CIMEX, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. A physicochemical characterization analysis was performed using X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) and lead chemical quantification through...
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https://revistas.sena.edu.co/index.php/RVI/article/view/6823 |
| Summary: | This research aims to evaluate lead recovery from cupels used in the fire assay method at the Instituto de Minerales CIMEX, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. A physicochemical characterization analysis was performed using X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) and lead chemical quantification through Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS), determining that the average lead content in the cupels is 64.25%. The experimentation was conducted through a leaching process, employing a buffer solution composed of citric acid and its conjugate base, sodium citrate. It was determined that the most favorable conditions for the process are a pH of 5, a leaching time of 2 hours, and a sample weight of 6 grams, achieving a liquor with approximately 49.6% lead content. Subsequently, precipitation was carried out using 26% ammonium hydroxide, followed by drying and calcination to convert the obtained lead hydroxide into its reduced form (litharge). It was found that the overall yield of the litharge production process is 49.5%, and up to 96.7% of the initial Pb present in the cupel can be recovered. At the CIMEX Minerals Institute alone, up to 869.8 kg of litharge could be recovered annually and reintegrated into the process, which represents a transcendental value on an industrial scale for the sustainability of the mining- metallurgical sector and the treatment of these wastes. |
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