Application of a Mathematical Model to the Sierra Indiana Ore Leaching Process Containing Thorium, by Means of H2SO4 Solution and HCl

Abstract

The existence of the thorium element in the ores from the Atacama region, Chile, and its importance in the activities of the nuclear industry, have generated the interest of the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission (CChEN) to study the technical feasibility of its recovery, like ThO2 through the implementation of hydrometallurgical techniques, such as leaching, solvent extraction, among others. The present work has become a report about the research carried out in the Extractive Metallurgy Area of the Department of Advanced Materials of CChEN, whose objective is to know the behavior of the thorium element when the mineral carrier is leached. The leaching tests were carried out in a glass reactor in batch mode, by mechanical agitation, varying different operational parameters, such as: type of leaching solution, concentration of acid in the solution, system temperature and granulometry of the mineral. The results indicate that there is technical feasibility for the recovery of thorium by leaching the mineral carrier with hydrochloric and/or sulfuric solution. The highest recovery of thorium for a sulfuric solution was 70.0% and for a hydrochloric solution of 83.8%, so the process presents a good efficiency in both cases. For a hydrochloric solution, the mathematical model of the thorium recovery efficiency obtained is: Y=31.14+26.25*X1+8.69*X2−0.82*X3+9.5*X12−0.83*X13−3.71*X23−1.83*X123+6.45 The concentration of HCl and temperature, as well as their interaction, significantly affect the recovery of thorium for Sierra Indiana mineral, as well as temperature and granulometry. The previous model gives a good representativeness of 99.98%. For a sulfuric solution, the mathematical model of the thorium recovery efficiency obtained is: Y=29.78+25.92*X1+0.99*X2−1.05*X3−2.05*X12−9.84*X13−5.26*X23−3.87*X123+15.18 The model indicates that the recovery of thorium for the mineral is significantly affected by the concentration of sulfuric acid, and to a lesser degree by the temperature and granulometry. The model provides a representativeness of 98.3%.