In this work, activated carbons were produced using coal as raw matter from seven Colombian carboniferous zones. Physical activation was performed in two stages: a carbonization stage with Nitrogen at a temperature of 850 °C and a residence time of 2 h, followed by an activation stage using steam at temperatures of 700 and 850 °C with residence times of 1.5 h and 2.5 h. From the pore volume characterization for the adsorption of gold, two activated carbons from Cundinamarca, obtained at 850 °C (1.5 h), 850 °C (2.5 h), and a commercial carbon (GRC 22) were selected. Gold adsorption tests were performed with those three activated carbons using synthetic aurocyanide solutions and a gold waste solution. The data of the adsorption isotherms were adjusted using the Freundlich adsorption model for the synthetic solution, as well as Langmuir for the waste solution. The results showed that, using a solution of 1 ppm, the activated carbons C-850-2.5 and C- 850-1.5 produced the higher maximum gold loading capacities in the equilibrium (8.7 and 9.3 mg Au/g, respectively) in comparison to the commercial activated carbon (4.7 mg Au/g).  Gold adsorption test using a waste solution (21 ppm of gold) showed that the activated carbon C-850-1.5 had the highest value of adsorption capacity (4.58 mg Au/g) compared to C-850-2.5 (2.95 mgAu /g).

Wet coal beneficiation in Colombia is prohibitive due to the high cost and scarcity of commonly used dense media. The practical value of this study is that it demonstrates for the first time that a common fertilizer, calcium nitrate, can be used in the beneficiation of low-grade Colombian coals. Three high-ash low-grade Colombian coals (Valle, Cundinamarca, and Antioquia) commonly used in Colombian sugar mill stoker furnaces were tested. Coal mineralogy and prevalence were analyzed before and after washing using mineral liberation analysis. The swelling potential of the coals was assessed using a novel application of thermal mechanical analysis (TMA) and an ash fusion oven (AFO). Calcium nitrate reduced ash levels across all size fractions, even for highash coals like Valle (29% to below 7%) to acceptable levels for coke manufacturing or pulverized fuel combustion. The novel use of TMA and AFO to analyze coal swelling demonstrated that swelling varies under constrained and unconstrained conditions and the small sample size allows for rapid testing of coal swelling. This study has demonstrated that the use of common fertilizers can allow beneficiation to become a processing option for low-grade coals in Official Development Assistance countries where conventional dense media is prohibitively expensive.