MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY

NAME :

REG NUMBER :

LEVEL : 2.1

MODULE CODE : CT 213

LECTURER : Mrs Zinyama

SUPERVISOR : Dr Fidelis Chigondo

TOPIC: DETERMINATION OF CONCETRATION OF CYANIDE IONS DUE TO

MINERAL PROCESSING IN SOIL AND WATER CLOSE TO MINING SITES
USING UV-VISIBLE SPECTROPHOTOMETRY. A CASE STUDY OF SHURUGWI
AREA.
BACKGROUD OF STUDY

According to (Sway, 2009) mineral processing, also known as ore dressing, is the process of
separating commercially valuable minerals from their ores. The mineral is broken down into
smaller pieces, a process called comminution, and added to some chemicals liberating the
precious metals from the gangue. There are many methods of extraction of minerals, in this
case gold, from the gangue (waste material). These methods include the Borax process,
Amalgamation and Cyanidation. The borax method is a technique of artisanal gold mining,
which uses borax as a flux to purify gold concentrates. this method relies on borax's ability to
lower all the minerals' melting points. Since the gold is usually the heaviest of these minerals,
it allows for concentrating the gold on the bottom of the crucible. With the amalgam process,
the gold bearing rock is likewise crushed to fine sand. Afterwards mercury is added to the
rock dust. Gold has the property that enables it to join to the surface of the mercury. The gold
enriched mercury forms a silvery shining alloy solution, the so-called amalgam. (Durakovic,
2017) supports by saying that the amalgam collects at the bottom of the mixing container and
is easily separated from the other minerals. Although there are many methods of extracting
gold, this paper will only concentrate on cyanidation. (Sway, 2009) further propounds that
cyanidation is the most widely used method of extracting gold from its raw materials. This is
where some cyanide ions are added to the solution containing our valuable mineral so as to
separate it from the gangue. The term cyanides are used to describe compounds which
contain in their structure the –C≡N group. Waste water from gold cyanidation containing
cyanide ions is discharged to the environment and solidifies in the soil, that would be used for
agriculture, or is washed to water sources that humans will consume. As results of pollution,
cyanides get into the environment and they negatively affect living organisms in many ways
therefore the determination of the concentration cyanide ions in soil and waste water is
crucial, (Banks, 2018).
AIM

 Determination of concentration of cyanide ions using UV-Visible Spectrophotometry

OBJECTIVES

 To draw a geographical map showing sites of soil and water sources taken for samples
near gold mines within a 5km radius.
 To isolate and stabilize cyanide ions from interfering ions in soil and water sample
during analysis using sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
 To characterize and determine concentration of cyanide ions in water samples by UV-
Visible spectrophotometry
 To characterize and determine concentration of cyanide ions in soil samples using
spectrophotometry
 To suggest an industrial method of cyanide ions removal.

JUSTIFICATION

The research seeks to determine the concentration of cyanide ions in water sources and soil
being used for agriculture by people in Shurugwi to give recommendations on how they
should be removed and proper waste management. Nationwide, it seeks to educate the
affected local residents, other people who live near mines and the miners themselves on how
to treat the disposed gangue material and the effects the gangue has. The study is of
paramount importance because it will help the government in policy formulation and strategic
planning. It will enlighten the mine on the damages imposed on the environment, the threats
it brings to human health and suggest measures on how to improve their methods of mining
and discharging the gangue.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Shurugwi is a mining town and most mines extract gold using cyanidation. The waste
material is discharged to the environment leading to reports of stomach aches, stunted growth
of crops, disruption of the ecosystem and contamination of agricultural soil caused by the
gangue being disposed to the environment. Due to these negative effects as a result of waste
disposals of cyanidation by mineral processing in Shurugwi mines, the researcher sought to
determine the presence of cyanide ions in agricultural soil and their concentration in water
being used by these people and determine solutions to remove cyanide ions.

LITERATURE REVIEW

According to (Spiggle, 2005) there are many sources of cyanide. Natural sources of cyanide
ions are cyanogenic glycosides which can be found in, among others, apricot kernels, cassava
roots and bamboo shoots. It can be found in the air as a gaseous ion and in food. However
live organisms have the ability to convert cyanide into less toxic compounds excreted with
physiological fluids. They become toxic when they are consumed too much or when their
concentration is high. High concentrations of cyanide ions get into the environment mainly
from wastewater. As a result of industrial activities, in this case mineral processing, cyanides
are released in various forms to all elements of the environment.

(Durakovic, 2017) argues that when it comes to mineral processing of gold, cyanide is the
most commonly used substance. Gold cyanidation has been used as the principal gold
extraction technique since the late 19th century. Cyanide is universally used because of its
relatively low cost and great effectiveness for gold dissolution. Also, despite some concerns
over the toxicity of cyanide, it can be applied with little risk to health and the environment,
(Durakovic, 2017).

In Shurugwi, cyanide is the most dangerous element that is discharged in gangue. According
to (Spiggle, 2005) the process of cyanide leaching is mainly used where the earth has a high
gold concentration making an industrial development worthwhile. The overall reaction is as
follows:

4AU + 8NaCN + O2 + 2H2O - > 4NaAu(CN)2 + 4NaOH

According to (Manju, 2010) for this process the gold-bearing rock is crushed to sand and
dust. Subsequently, the rock dust piled in heaps or stored in tanks is combined with a sodium
cyanide solution (sodium salt of hydrogen cyanide acid HCN). The acid detaches the gold
from the rock dust and transports it in the acid seepage fluid in a chemically bound form.
Subsequently, the gold is filtered out of the leach solution by adding zinc dust and then
washed out of the muddy substrate and finally dried. The recovered raw gold is later refined
into fine gold. Excess solution with cyanide is discharged into the environment and this has a
negative impact on human health.
(Manju, 2010) further adds that some cyanide ions are washed into water bodies like rivers or
dams and some sink and some solidify in soil. For these reasons cyanide ions can exist as a
solid in soil and as a liquid in water bodies. In soil the degree of contamination of soil with
cyanides depends on their amount and activity. Most of cyanides are deposited in the
environment as complexes of Fe(CN)63- and Fe(CN)64-. Their toxicity is low, but due to the
light, they convert into highly toxic and volatile free cyanides. In soil, without the light, this
process is very slow. This can be described by the following reactions according to (Manju,
2010):

FeCN64-+hv→FeCN63-+CN-
FeCN63- + 6H2O +3H+⇋Fe(OH)3+6HCN(aq)
Soil contaminated with cyanides is seen by its blue coloration, derived from Fe4[Fe (CN)6]3. In
water they exist according to the type of cyanide added to water, (Manju, 2010). There exist
various forms of simple cyanide salts like NaCN, KCN, etc. but in this case, we focused on
HCN as the source of cyanide in waste so in water they exist as CN- ions.

Both liquid and solid forms are either consumed by humans directly or indirectly. The basic
effect of cyanide activity in humans involves combining with trivalent iron of cytochrome
oxidase, which is a key enzyme of the respiratory chain, (Durakovic, 2017). This
combination results in blocking of the intracellular respiratory and increasing synthesis of
lactic acid. In humans it is known as cyanide poisoning. Cyanide poisoning is poisoning that
results from exposure to a number of forms of cyanide. Early symptoms include headache,
dizziness, fast heart rate, shortness of breath, and vomiting. This may then be followed
by seizures, slow heart rate, low blood pressure, loss of consciousness, and cardiac arrest. If a
person survives, there may be long-term neurological problems. Apart from poisoning that
results from mineral processing waste water, other potential routes of exposure include
workplaces involved in metal polishing, certain insecticides, the medication nitroprusside,
and certain seeds such as those of apples and apricots, (Spiggle, 2005).

Liquid forms of cyanide can be absorbed through the skin. Cyanide ions interfere

with cellular respiration, resulting in the body's tissues being unable to use oxygen. Treatment
involves supportive care and giving the person 100% oxygen .Hydroxocobalamin (vitamin
B12a) appears to be useful as an antidote and is generally first-line. Sodium thiosulphate may
also be given. For these reasons, it is essential to determine the concentration of cyanide in
the environment and come up with measures on how to remove these ions or lower their
concentrations that have mere effect on humans. According to (Madara, 2008), cyanide ions
in water and soil can be determined by Spectroscopic methods.

SUGGESTED METHODS CHARACTERISATION TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES

Water samples contain interfering samples. These are Ca2+, Cl-, PO43-, Fe2+ etc. For this
reason -CN- ions are stabilised from the interfering ions by adding NaOH (aq). Free cyanide in
water samples are determined by spectrophotometric methods. A PerkinElmer LAMBDA
265 PDA UV-Visible Spectrophotometer is employed for the determination of the
concentration of these ions. Cyanide reacts with chlorine to form cyanogen chloride (CNCl),
which reacts with a stabilized isonicotinic-barbituric acid reagent to form a blue coloured
complex. This complex can be detected spectrophotometrically at 600 nm and is directly
proportional to the cyanide concentration. The test method is suitable for the concentration
range 0 – 0.40 mg/L free cyanide in effluents and cyanide contaminated waters, allowing its
concentration to be determined by incorporating the measured absorbance at 600 nm into a
known equation. A UV Lab software will draw a graph of absorbance against wavelength.

Soil samples may oxidise hence 50% NaOH is added to minimise cyanide losses due to
volatization of HCN. Since, sulphides are often present in soils and solid wastes, lead
carbonate is added to all extract samples in order to fix sulphides as PbS. Decantation is done
to remove the PbS ions. The samples are put in an extract bottle and the pH measured to be
around 11. Micro diffusion is carried for all samples. It is essential that the micro diffusion
cell be protected from light at all times during the 6-hr diffusion period in order to avoid
photolysis of hexacyanoferrate complexes. At the end of the diffusion period 1.00-mL aliquot
of the sodium hydroxide solution from the centre chamber of the microdiffusion cell and is
dispensed into a clean, dry, spectrophotometer cell. The development of the colour complex,
as well as its stability, will be optimum for performing spectrophotometric readings. The
absorbance of the spectrophotometric sample at 578 nm is read during this time interval. The
concentration can later be calculated. The time interval at which readings are taken must be
consistent to the extent possible for all samples and standards.
REFERENCE LIST

Banks, J. E. (2018) ‘Environmental remediation’, What is Environmental Remediation?,

13(4), pp. 21–22. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195919.

Durakovic, B. (2017) Cyanidation in mineral processing. 1st edn, Periodicals of Natural

Sciences. 1st edn. New York: Goodwill Brothers. doi: 10.21533/pen.v5i3.145.

Madara, B. (2008) ‘UV-Visible spectroscopy of cyanide’, UV-VIs spectrometer, 2(4), pp.

300–305.

Manju, K. (2010) Effects of Cyanide in the environment. 2nd edn. Tokyo: GangZhou.

Spiggle, J. (2005) ‘Cyanidation’, BMJ (Online), 1(3), pp. 10–12.

Sway, A. (2009) ‘Mineral Processing’, Methods of extraction of minerals, 25(4), pp. 478–
505. doi: 10.1002/asmb.779.