Ion Exchange in Hydrometallurgical Processing: An Overview and Selected Applications

Ion exchange has traditionally been employed for the purification of water and the removal of metal contaminants from dilute waste streams. More recently, its use in removing trace metallic impurities from hydrometallurgical process streams (with typical background metal concentrations of 50–100 g/L) has increased substantially. It is also used as a primary recovery and concentration unit operation for certain commodities, where both technical and cost advantages become apparent for complex flow sheets. This overview discusses selected modern applications of ion exchange in hydrometallurgical processes for uranium, precious metals, copper, cobalt, nickel and zinc, and identifies some opportunities for the future.