Adsorción de oro mediante un compósito formado por porcelana – coral zoanthus en la minería artesanal de la zona de Arirahua- Condesuyos

Traditional gold extraction methods, such as cyanidation using activated carbon, generate a considerable environmental impact due to the use of toxic substances and the generation of hazardous waste. Faced with this scenario, more efficient and environmentally friendly technologies are being proposed, such as the adsorption process using a porcelain-zoanthus coral composite as an adsorbent. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the porcelain-zoanthus coral composite for a cyanide-laced gold sample from an artisanal mine located in Arirahua, Condesuyos. To this end, this exploratory, experimental, quantitative, and correlational study was proposed using a batch adsorption system. In addition, a 2k full factorial design with replicates at the center points and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied to determine the adsorption capacity and the effects and interactions of the independent variables on the final gold concentration. The results showed a 78.50% gold adsorption capacity of the composite, indicating that a large amount of dissolved gold was recovered under the specified experimental conditions. The mathematical model was also determined, and the adsorption isotherm behavior was evaluated, fitting the Freundlich isotherm with R² equal to 0.8132, suggesting that gold adsorption occurs through a physical and reversible process. It is concluded that this composite could be considered a viable alternative for gold extraction, contributing sustainably to the Peruvian artisanal mining sector.