Onsite Plasma Cyanide Production for Mining Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
The traditional centralized production and transportation of high purity cyanide pose risks and inefficiencies, particularly in remote gold mining sites, due to the need for long-distance transport and storage of hazardous materials, which is costly and environmentally hazardous, and the complexity of existing cyanide production processes like the Shawinigan process.
Innovation Solution
A plasma reactor system for onsite production of cyanide, using a hydrocarbon and nitrogen source fed into a reaction chamber where they are dissociated into active radicals to produce cyanide, allowing for just-in-time production and reducing the need for transportation and storage of high-concentration cyanide solutions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If centralized production facilities are used to produce high purity cyanide, then manufacturing precision and product quality are improved, but transportation cost and environmental risk increase due to long-distance shipping to remote mining sites
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized production system is segmented into distributed onsite production units at each mining location. Instead of one large facility producing all cyanide centrally, each mine has its own plasma reactor producing cyanide locally, eliminating the need for long-distance transportation of hazardous materials while maintaining production capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
A plasma reactor serves as an intermediary device that converts readily transportable hydrocarbon and nitrogen sources into cyanide on-site. This intermediary conversion process eliminates the need to transport finished cyanide products, transforming the problem from transporting hazardous cyanide to transporting safe raw materials (hydrocarbon and nitrogen)
Solution Approach 3:
Each mining site becomes self-sufficient in cyanide production through its own plasma reactor system. The onsite production unit allows each mine to produce its own cyanide requirements locally without relying on external centralized facilities, eliminating transportation dependencies and environmental risks associated with shipping
2Stability of the object's composition
If high purity solid or liquid cyanide products are produced and shipped, then product stability and decomposition resistance are improved, but storage risk and transport cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Cyanide is produced on-demand and immediately used without prior storage. The preliminary production of cyanide occurs just before consumption at the exact location where it is needed, eliminating the need for large storage quantities and reducing associated risks
Solution Approach 2:
The process skips the storage and transportation phases entirely by producing cyanide directly at the point of use. Instead of producing, storing, transporting, and then using cyanide, the system rushes through production and immediately consumes it onsite, eliminating intermediate storage requirements
3Productivity
If the Shawinigan process is used for cyanide production, then cyanide yield is improved through kinetic control, but device complexity and operational cost increase due to fluidized bed requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The complex fluidized bed coke system and associated separation equipment are extracted and removed from the reaction system. The invention uses a simplified plasma reactor that achieves high cyanide yields through plasma kinetics without requiring the complex fluidized bed infrastructure, coke handling systems, or gas-solid separation equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical fluidized bed system is replaced with a plasma-based reaction system. Instead of using mechanical agitation, fluidization, and physical separation methods, the invention uses plasma chemistry to achieve the same cyanide production goals with a simpler, more compact reactor design that eliminates complex mechanical components
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables safe, cost-effective, and efficient production of cyanide directly at gold mining sites, minimizing environmental and health risks while simplifying the production process and reducing operational costs by eliminating the need for complex and expensive centralized facilities.
Implementation Method 1
supplying a hydrocarbon and nitrogen source to an onsite plasma reactor; removing cyanide synthesised inside the onsite plasma reactor
Implementation Method 2
an onsite plasma reactor to dissociate the hydrocarbon and nitrogen source in the reaction chamber into active radicals to produce the cyanide
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a cyanide including the steps of supplying a hydrocarbon and nitrogen source to an onsite plasma reactor and removing cyanide synthesised inside the onsite plasma reactor to thereby produce the cyanide is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method which includes a monitor for monitoring the cyanide requirement of an onsite cyanide utilising system and supplying the hydrocarbon and nitrogen source in accordance with the cyanide requirement. Additionally, a method for recovering, refining, purifying or treating a metal including the steps of monitoring a cyanide requirement of the method and supplying to the method in a just in time sequence a cyanide synthesised onsite to thereby recover, refine, purify or treat the metal is disclosed.