Conference Program
(includes links to session abstracts & presentations, summaries of session discussions and guest speaker presentations)

Conference Draws World Experts in Hydrometallurgical Solution Purification

The 2001 Parker Centre Hydrometallurgy Conference on Separation and Purification, held in Perth in October, attracted 80 of the world's experts in these key operations in mineral processing.

These invited delegates gathered to review the current state-of-the-art, discuss recent advances and identify future challenges in six sessions covering precipitation, adsorption, solvent extraction, organics removal, crystallisation of impurities and pilot plant experiences.

Informal panel-led discussion followed the presentations in each session. A valuable summary of the main points arising from the discussions was presented at the close of the conference.

The Parker Centre Conferences are unusual in that the attendees, presentations and discussions span a wide range of industry sectors. Senior representatives from the gold, alumina and various base metal industries joined industry suppliers and researchers at this conference. The international contingent included delegates from Canada, South Africa, the UK, Belgium and Chile.

Both industry and researchers use pilot plant trials for process development. A highlight of the sessions was a presentation by Dr Derek Kerfoot (Inco Technical Services) about the Goro nickel pilot plant, a 12 tonne/day pressure acid leach pilot plant for processing a nickel laterite deposit in New Caledonia. After operating this plant for two years, a full scale plant is now being designed. Pulsed columns for the solvent extraction steps are being assessed in the pilot plant as an alternative to conventional mixer settlers.

The use of resins for metal recovery directly from pulps, avoiding the need for solid-liquid separation before recovery, was covered by two speakers in the adsorption session. Professor Mike Nicol (Parker Centre) discussed the laboratory development of a resin-in-pulp process for nickel and cobalt recovery from laterite leach pulps, and pilot plant demonstration of this process. Ms Marthie Kotze (Mintek) spoke on economic and technical evaluation of resin-in-pulp.

The solvent extraction session ended with an animated discussion on whether new, more selective extractants will be developed. Several delegates from extractant supplier companies said they are working on new extractants. Another delegate pointed out that rapid advances in polymer chemistry could well lead to better extractants. Alternatively, combining existing extractants which are synergists to enhance metal separation was also discussed.

Other highlights included presentations about the alumina industry by Dr Steven Rosenberg (Worsley Alumina) and Professor Gordon Parkinson (Parker Centre). Dr Rosenberg's account of identifying and resolving a problem in the Worsley refinery caused by a fluoride impurity in bauxite was an interesting story of impurity control. A novel process for removing organic impurities from Bayer liquors by trapping them between the layers of intercalation compounds was described by Professor Parkinson.

The conference was the second in a series of biennial Parker Centre Conferences. The first in October 1999 explored leaching science and technology. Having followed this with a conference focusing on purifying the leach solution, the theme of the next conference in 2003 will be product recovery and impurity control.

[The third Parker Centre Hydrometallurgy Conference was actually held in March 2004 rather than October 2003 due to conflicts with other international conferences.]