Carrier-mediated gold transport in the system Cyanex 921–HCl–Au(III)

The transport of gold from hydrochloric acid solutions by the phosphine oxide Cyanex 921 has been studied. The transport of the metal is investigated as a function of various experimental variables: hydrodynamic conditions, concentrations of gold(III) and HCl in the source phase and carrier concentration in the membrane. The selectivity of the system towards different base metals is presented. Mass transfer coefficients and the thickness of the source phase boundary layer were estimated from the experimental data.