2009 Volume 56 Issue 1 Pages 26-32
In order to recover trace of platinum (Pt) from Cobalt-Rich-Crust (CRC), electrical disintegration was carried out to liberate the CRC. Electrical disintegration was performed by introducing high voltage impulse to the CRC, which broke down the CRC along the grain boundaries of minerals with different electrical parameters in it. In this study, the feasibility of liberating CRC by electrical disintegration was investigated, and the Pt grade in the CRC fragments after electrical disintegration was compared with the one after mechanical comminution.
The results showed with the increase of the thickness of CRC, the applied voltage for the electric breakdown was also increased. Higher applied voltage made the particle size of CRC fragments smaller. When electrical disintegration was performed in conductive solution, the applied breakdown voltage and electric energy consumption needed was greatly increased since the majority of the current flowed through the solution instead of CRC. However, it could be prevented by using coated discharge electrode, which makes electrical disintegration of CRC perform in seawater possible. The Pt grade in smaller CRC fragments from electrical disintegration and mechanical comminution were almost the same; however, larger CRC fragments possessed higher Pt grade from electrical disintegration than the one from mechanical comminution.
