Recovery of dissolved platinum group metals from copper sulphate leach solutions by precipitation

The pregnant leach solution produced in the final leaching stage of base metal refineries (BMRs) operated by platinum producers contains impurities such as selenium and tellurium as well as other precious metals (OPMs, which include Rh, Ru and Ir). The aim of this project was to propose operating conditions for a thio-urea precipitation process that would allow maximum OPM recovery and impurity precipitation from the leach solution with minimal copper and nickel co-precipitation. Experimental results illustrating the effects that operating temperature (80 °C and 160 °C), pressure (atmospheric pressure and seven bar), stirring rate (250 rpm and 500 rpm) and thio-urea quantity (200% and 320% excess) have on the precipitation behaviour are presented.Virtually all of the Rh contained in the solution was precipitated irrespective of the values of the process variables studied. The maximum percentage Ru and Ir precipitation achieved were 87% and 60%, respectively. Complete Se precipitation was observed at all process conditions, while Te precipitation increased as the operating temperature was increased. Increasing the reagent quantity and temperature did, however, also result in increased copper and nickel co-precipitation.Regression models were used to perform numerical analyses to determine suitable operating conditions. Predictions with this numerical approach suggested that precipitation with 200% excess thio-urea at a temperature of 80 °C and a pressure of 7 bar would yield 98% Rh, 75% Ru, and 48% Ir precipitation with less than 5% Cu and Ni co-precipitation; these results could be experimentally validated.