Parametric Sensitivity Study of Adsorption in a Periodic Countercurrent Cascade of Stirred Tanks

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Material balance equations are developed to describe adsorption on activated carbon in either batch or continuous countercurrent systems. The carbon is divided into two regions with distinctly different kinetic characteristics. A Freundlich isotherm is used to describe the equilibrium adsorption of gold cyanide on activated carbon. Kinetic and equilibrium parameters estimated from batch tests are shown to predict the behavior of a small-scale continuous plant accurately. A parametric sensitivity analysis of this model is conducted in order to explain the factors which influence the efficiency of a carbon-in-pulp (CIP) plant used for the recovery of gold from cyanided pulps. The periodicity of the transfer of carbon countercurrent to the flow of pulp is shown to have almost no effect on the behavior of a CIP plant. Mixing should be more efficient in the stages where low concentrations in solution occur.