Photocatalytic detoxification of cyanide and metal cyano-species from precious-metal mill effluents

Photochemically-induced detoxification of various cyanide species from a selected precious-metal mills tailings was investigated in detail. The studies were conducted in the presence or absence of a titanium (IV) oxide semiconductor photocatalyst utilizing simulated sunlight as the irradiation source. It was established that the cyanide ion (both free and complexed) was photocatalytically oxidized to nitrate via cyanate and nitrite. In addition iron, copper, zinc, mercury and arsenic were stabilized as precipitates. The results obtained may have ramifications for the possible use of solar energy for the efficient treatment of large quantities of precious-metal mill-tailing wastes that contain various cyano-species.