Treatment of copper-rich gold ore by cyanide leaching, ammonia pretreatment and ammoniacal cyanide leaching

The treatment of a copper sulphide-bearing gold ore by direct cyanide leaching, ammonia pretreatment and ammoniacal cyanide leaching was investigated. Dissolution behaviour of gold and copper in these leaching systems was demonstrated. Severe interference by the copper containing sulphides with cyanide leaching of gold is observed at p（NaCN）〈5 g/L. This is consistent with speciation calculations. Ammonia pretreatment is shown to readily eliminate the copper interference, allowing almost complete extraction of gold with concomitantly low reagent consumption in subsequent cyanide leaching. In ammoniacal cyanide system, Box-Behnken experimental design shows the main and interaction effects of NH3, NaCN and Pb（NO3）2. The concentrations of NH3 and NaCN are statistically confirmed to be significant factors affecting extraction of gold while the effect of Pb（NO3）2 is limited. Increasing the concentration of NH3 improves the selectivity and extent of gold extraction and reduces the cyanide consumption. The contribution of reagent interactions to gold extraction is statistically insignificant. These findings highlight that ammonia pretreatment and ammonia-cyanide leaching are promising approaches for the treatment of gold ores with high copper sulphide content.

Co-intensification of cyanide leaching gold by mercury ions and oxidant

The effects of mercury ions on gold cyanidation were studied. The results show that under low cyanide concentration, gold cyanide process is controlled by CN- transfer, while at higher cyanide concentration, there forms passivation on gold surface. Therefore, chemical oxidation of gold in cyanide solution of higher concentration is controlled by surface reaction. Small quantity of additions of mercury ions bring about great increases in anodic gold dissolution rate, decreases the passivation and reduces the equilibrium activated energy. In addition, they also markedly change the effect pattern of cyanide concentration. Mercury ions show positive effects on cathodic reduction of oxygen and raise the rate of electrochemical step of the cathodic reduction of oxygen. Addition of a certain amount of hydrogen peroxide is confirmed to be an effective way for intensification of cathodic process on gold electrode. Active potential range and current peak on anodic dissolution are enlarged when being co-intensified with Hg^2＋ and hydrogen peroxide. Co-intensifying effect may be obtained and gold from gold concentrates. gold leaching rate is considerably increased on cyanide leaching of

Leaching kinetics in cyanide media of Ag contained in the industrial mining-metallurgical wastes in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico

The leaching kinetics in cyanide media of the silver contained in the Dos Carlos waste tailings at the City of Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo State, Mexico were carried out. The used material contained the following chemical composition: 56 10-6of Ag, 0.6 10 6of Au and 70.43%(by weight) of SiO2; 7.032%(by weight) of Al2O3; 2.69%(by weight) of Fe; 0.46%(by weight) of Mn; 3.98%(by weight) of K2O; 3.34%(by weight) of CaO; 2.50%(by weight) of Na2O; 0.04%(by weight) of Zn; 0.026%(by weight) of Pb. The mineralogical phases present were the following: Silica, albite, argentite, berlinite, orthoclase, potassium jarosite, and natrojarosite. In the leaching kinetics in cyanide media, and under the studied conditions,the effect of the CN concentration on the reaction rate has no effect on the whole process of alkaline cyanidation, of which the reaction order is n 0. Temperature has an effect on the cyanidation rate of the reaction, with an activation energy of 47.9 KJ/mol. At the same time, when the particle size decreases there is an increase in the reaction rate, which is inversely proportional to the particle diameter; when increasing the NaOH concentration there is an increase in the reaction rate Kexp, with a reaction order(n) of 0.215 under the studied ranges.

LEACH OUT GOLD AND SILVER FROM SULFIDE CONCENTRATE CONTAINING COPPER WITH CYANIDE AND AMMONIA SOLUTIONS

A cyanidation leaching process for a sulfide concentrate containing gold and silver with ammonia and other complexes was investigated,and its potential in decrease of cyanide consumption was examined.The equilibria behaviors of copper and other metal ions in the CN-NH,-H_(2)0 system and the CN—NH,—EDTA-HjO system were analyzed by a microcomputer program.Experiments revealed that the leaching yield of gold in ammonia-cyanide solutions was raised from 86%to 99%from addition of EDTA in a certain concentration and its cooperative action with ammonia on the cyanidation of gold.Meanwhile,the leaching yield of silver was significantly increased from about 20%to 55%and the consumption of cyanide was decreased.