• Clean Technology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.487-491
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• 2013

To efficiently desorb gold and copper-cyanide complexes adsorbed onto Dowex21K XLT resin, the mixed solvent with HCl and acetone which is a kind of dipolar aprotic solvent was used as a desorbing agent. The desorption efficiency for gold-cyanide complex was the highest as about 94% when the mixing ratio of HCl and acetone based on volume was the 7:3, however, the value decreased as the ratio of acetone increased. In the case of copper-cyanide complex, most of them was desorbed when the amount of HCl was relatively higher than that of acetone, however, desorption efficiency decreased as the ratio of acetone increased. The desorption efficiency for gold and copper-cyanide complexes was the 94 and 100%, respectively at the 0.6 M of HCl with the 7 (HCl) : 3 (Acetone) of mixing ratio and desorption efficiency for gold-cyanide complex not increased any more even though higher HCl concentration was used. And the desorption efficiency for gold and copper-cyanide complexes was about 100% at the S/L raio ${\leq_-}1.0$ whereas desorption efficiency for gold-cyanide complex was very low as about 20-29% at the S/L ratio > 1.0. Also, most of desorption process for gold and copper-cyanide complexes was completed within 120 min.