Pregnant Leach Solution
also known as PLS · pregnant liquor
The pregnant leach solution is the clarified liquor produced by leaching, carrying the target metals at the highest concentration the leach step can achieve, together with the impurity suite that came out of the feed. In most flowsheets the PLS is clarified before it reaches solvent extraction, because residual suspended solids are what generate crud at the interface.
Why it matters in practice
PLS concentration sets the size of everything downstream: a more dilute PLS means larger flows, larger contactors and higher organic inventory for the same production. Solids carry-over into the PLS is the most common root cause of interfacial problems in the SX circuit that follows.
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Related terms
Reference entry GL-PREGNANT-LEACH-SOLUTION. Definitions on this page describe engineering practice in hydrometallurgical process design; they are not a substitute for test work on your own material.