从海水中连续回收金和其他金属的方法

从海水中连续回收金和其他金属的方法IntroductionGold, as well as other valuable metals, is found in seawater in trace a

从海水中连续回收金和其他金属的方法 Introduction Gold,aswellasothervaluablemetals,isfoundinseawaterin traceamounts.Theconcentrationofgoldinseawaterisonly about0.00001partspermillion(ppm),whichmakesit uneconomicaltoextractgoldfromseawater.However,withthe increaseindemandforpreciousmetals,researchershavebeen developingalternativemethodstoextractgoldandothermetals fromseawater.Inthispaper,wediscussthepotentialmethodsfor extractinggoldandothermetalsfromseawater. Method1:Biomimicry Oneofthemethodstoextractgoldfromseawaterusedby scientistsisbiomimicry--aprocesswhereweimitatethenatural processesoflivingorganismstoextractmineralsfromocean water.Thereareseverallivingorganisms,likebacteriaandalgae, thatarecapableofextractinggoldandothermetalsfrom seawater.Scientistshavebeenstudyingtheseorganismsinorder todevelopaprocessthatcanmimictheirnaturalabilitytoextract metals. Inarecentstudy,researchersattheUniversityofEdinburgh createdachemicalthatmimicstheprocessusedbyacertaintype ofalgaetoextractgoldfromseawater.Theresearchersdiscovered thatthealgaeaccumulatesgoldbysecretingacompoundthat bindsitandcausesittoclumptogether.Theresearcherscreateda syntheticversionofthismoleculethatcanalsobeusedtoextract goldfromseawater. Method2:Electrowinning Anothermethodthathasbeenusedtoextractvaluable metalsfromseawateriselectrowinning,aprocesswheremetals areextractedfromasolutionusinganelectrochemicalcell.Inthis method,theseawaterisfirsttreatedwithasolutionthatcontains ametal-chelatingcompoundthatbindstothemetals.The solutionisthenpassedthroughanelectrochemicalcellthatis poweredbyasourceofenergy.Theenergycausesthemetalsto beseparatedfromthesolutionanddepositedontoanelectrode. Thismethodhasbeensuccessfulinextractingmetalssuchas copperandzinc,andhasbeentestedforgoldextractionaswell.A