Distribution of Inorganics and Gold on the External and Internal Surfaces of Activated Carbons from CIP Plants

The external urfaces and interiors (as polished sections) of particles of coconut hell and extruded peat activated carbons taken from everal Australian carbon-in-pulp operations were examined with an optical micro cope, a scanning electron microscope, and an electron microprobe.Calcium carbonate (calcite) precipitated from the pulp was the major inorganic material on the external surfaces of the carbon particle, but several ore minerals, including quartz, hematite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, and clay minerals were also identified, along with trona, gypsum, a nickel cyanide, and a magnesium salt. Sections of carbon particles showed that calcite was virtually the only introduced inorganic material inside the carbons.It was distributed in the pores and cracks throughout the coconut shell carbon particles but tended to be concentrated in the outer layers of the extruded peat carbon particles. The mechanism of calcite formation and deposition is uncertain. Gold X-ray dot maps showed that gold was distributed through to the centre of coconut shell carbons and to a depth of at least 500 µm in extruded peat carbons. The distribution of gold within the carbon particles was similar to that of calcite.