Cytec Industries has introduced four innovative technologies for solvent extraction of metals. The first two innovations help protect against the degradation of the solvent extractant; particularly, degradation that is caused by exposure to high nitration or oxidative conditions.

Degradation is a significant challenge, many mining companies have more than $1million invested in extractants that their process uses over and over again. Companies using the Cytec products can get substantial cost savings by reducing extractant replacement costs and improving the operational reliability of a processing facility. This new series of products, ACORGA^® NR SX reagent and ACORGA OR SX reagent, expand the company’s line of products for copper SX.

The third innovation allows companies to extract valuable molybdenum from their copper SX process. Moly exists at varying levels in most ore processed for copper extraction. By extracting this metal during their copper SX process, mining companies can gain an additional revenue stream from their existing operations. Molybdenum is in high demand for use in alloys that are used in applications that require high-strength, high pressure, high temperature or high corrosion resistance. Cytec’s CYANEX^® 600 extractant allows selective extraction, purification and concentration of molybdenum from low concentration acidic streams.

Finally, Cytec has developed a new modelling technique for the separation of cobalt from nickel via SX. This new software technology allows Cytec to very quickly evaluate and simulate many potential operational scenarios to optimise the design of a future operation or improve the efficiency of an existing operation. These significant improvements will allow cobalt/nickel extraction operations to have higher profitability and improved efficiency.