RESEARCH ARTICLE

 

The use of Dowex-M43 ion-exchange resin in the determination of Pt and Pd in converter matte by ICP-OES

 

 

Zolani Dyosi; Robert I. McCrindle; Tadesse Wondimu; Barend M. Botha; Peter P. Ndibewu

Department of Chemistry, Tshwane University of Technology, P.O. Box 56208, Arcadia, Pretoria, 0007 South Africa

 

 

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ABSTRACT

The method of choice for the separation of platinum group metals (PGMs) from base metals and easily ionizable elements (EIEs) is usually ion-exchange. This paper describes an anion-exchange procedure using Dowex-M43 for the separation of EIEs in geological samples (converter matte) from PGMs and Au. Aqueous commercial standards were used to study the adsorption capacity of the Dowex-M43 resin for both Pd and Pt metals (0-1000µg mL^-1). The concentrations of Pd and Pt were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The results from the analysis of solutions prepared from commercial standards after ion-exchange treatment showed quantitative recoveries of both Pt (97%) and Pd (99%) from Dowex-M43 resin using 0.1 mol L^-1 thiourea solution. Good agreement was observed between results obtained in this method and those obtained with the use of the conventional acid dissolution method for the determination of Pd and Pt in converter matte.

Keywords: Anion-exchange, converter matte, ICP-OES, platinum group metals

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Tshwane University of Technology and the National Research Foundation for funding this project.

 

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Received 3 August 2007
Revised 4 November 2008
Accepted 8 December 2008

 

 

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mccrindleri@tut.ac.za