The determination of minor and trace elements in the leach liquors from anode sludges

The solutions arising from the processing of anode sludges contain up to fifteen elements in minor and trace concentrations for which analysis is required. The atomic-absorption determination of copper, lead, nickel, and silver following dilution of the solution, and of platinum, palladium, and gold after destruction of the organic content of the processing solution with aqua regia, is briefly examined. The remaining elements - arsenic, antimony, bismuth, selenium, tellurium, iron, tin, and aluminium - which cannot be determined by either of these procedures, are concentrated by co-precipitation with titanium hydroxide and, after dissolution of the hydroxide precipitate, are determined by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry. Factors affecting the co-precipitation of the elements of interest were examined, and the precision and accuracy were determined by the use of synthetic solutions. Recoveries of more than 93 per cent, except for arsenic, were obtained, and the precision ranged from 1 to 8 per cent. The limits of determination for the dilution technique vary between 2,5 to 5 p.p.m. in the solution for analysis, and, for the co-precipitation technique, from 0,1 to 1 p.p.m. in the sample solution