Cyanide destruction and simultaneous recovery of copper with an electrochemical reactor

This work presents the results of a study on the simultaneous destruction of cyanide and recovery of copper from alkaline aqueous solutions in a continuous flow electrochemical reactor that consists of a reticulated vitreous carbon anode and two graphite cathodes. The experiments were carried out using different electrolytes (e.g., NaOH, NaCl, and Na2SO4). The concentrations of total cyanide and copper were measured as a function of electrolysis time at various applied cell potentials and flow rates. Under the best experimental conditions, the total cyanide concentration was reduced from 590 ppm to less than 2 ppm while recovering 98.6% of the copper present in solution simultaneously with this electrochemical system. (C) 2003 The Electrochemical Society.