Factorial Analysis for Cyanide Destruction - A Bench-Scale Testing Study for Gold Mining Effluent Treatment

Stantec Consulting Ltd. (Stantec) was retained by Williams Operating Corporation (WOC, Marathon, ON, Canada) in July 2008 to conduct bench-scale tests for the destruction of cyanide (CN) using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and copper sulphate (CuSO4) at the mine effluent treatment plant (ETP). Based on a 24 factorial analysis, the following preliminary recommendations could be drawn: i) CN oxidization with H2O2 and CuSO4 is an effective approach for CN destruction at WOC, ii) Practice CN oxidization in warm season; iii) H2O2 and CuSO4 could be dosed based on mass ratios of H2O2/CN of 5-10/1 and Cu2+/CN of 5/1; and iv) a reaction time of 40 min would be sufficient.