Novel two-step process to improve efficiency of bio-oxidation of Axi high-sulfur refractory gold concentrates

In order to improve the bio-oxidation efficiency of Axi refractory gold concentrate, a two-step process including a high temperature chemical oxidation and a subsequent bio-oxidation, combined with p H control during the bio-oxidation step was used. The results revealed that the optimum mode was to maintain solution p H at 1.0-1.2 during the biological oxidation stage. Under this condition, the activity of mixed culture could be sustained and the formation of jarosite could be diminished, thus the oxidation efficiency was improved. The oxidation levels of iron and sulfur were improved by 12.50% and 15.49%, and the gold recovery was increased by 21.02%. Therefore, the two-step process combined with p H control is an effective method for oxidizing the biohydrometallurgical process of Axi gold concentrate, and it will have a broad prospect of application in dealing with complex refractory gold concentrate.

Prediction of pre-oxidation efficiency of refractory gold concentrate by ozone in ferric sulfate solution using artificial neural networks

An artificial neural network model was developed to predict the oxidation of refractory gold concentrate （RGC） by ozone and ferric ions. The concentration of ozone and ferric ions, pulp density, oxygen amount, leaching time and temperature were employed as inputs to the network; the output of the network was the percentage of the ferric extraction iron from RGC. The multilayered feed-forward networks were trained by 33 sets of input-output patterns using a back propagation algorithm; a three-layer network with 8 neurons in the hidden layer gave optimal results. The model gave good predictions of high correlation coefficient （R2=0.966）. The predictions by ANN are more accurate when compared with conventional multivariate regression analysis （MVRA）. In addition, calculation with ANN model indicates that temperature is the predominant parameter and ozone concentration is the lesser influential parameter in the pre-oxidation process of refractory gold ore. The ANN neural network model accurately estimates the ferric extraction during pretreatment process of RGC in gold smelter plants and can be used to optimize the process parameters.

Differences of cyanide leaching between calcine and dust from refractory gold concentrates

Differences of cyanide leaching between the calcine and the dust from a refractory gold concentrate were investigated by comparative method. Results showed that gold leaching efficiencies of the calcine and the dust were 85.31% and 54.30%, respectively, with direct cyanidation. Contents and existing forms of arsenic and carbon were the main reasons for those differences. The maximum gold leaching efficiencies of the calcine and the dust were 87.70% and 58.60%, respectively, with cyanidation after NaOH pre-leaching. Harmful elements removal, gold loss in NaOH pre-leaching and iron oxides hindrance codetermined gold leaching efficiencies of the calcine and the dust. After H2SO4 pre-leaching, the maximum gold leaching efficiencies of the calcine and the dust achieved 94.96% and 80.40%, respectively. The effect of carbonaceous matter was the main reason for differences for leaching efficiencies of the calcine and the dust. Based on those differences, two proper gold extraction processes were put forward, and gold leaching efficiencies for the calcine and the dust achieved 94.91% and 91.90%, respectively.

Biooxidation-thiosulfate leaching of refractory gold concentrate

A process of biooxidation followed by thiosulfate leaching of gold from refractory gold concentrate was investigated.Mineralogical studies on the concentrate showed that very fine gold grains(<10μm)were encapsulated in pyrite and arsenopyrite,while the proportion of monomer gold was only 21%.The gold-bearing sample was identified as a high-sulfur fine-sized wrapped-type refractory gold concentrate.The gold leaching efficiency obtained by direct cyanidation was only 59.86%.After biooxidation pretreatment,the sulfide minerals were almost completely decomposed,92 wt%of the mineral particles of the biooxidation residue were decreased to<38μm,and the proportion of monomer gold in the biooxidation residue was over 86%.Meanwhile,the gold content in the biooxidation residue was enriched to 55.60 g/t,and the S,Fe,and As contents were reduced to approximately 19.8 wt%,6.97 wt%,and 0.13 wt%,respectively.Ammoniacal thiosulfate was used for gold extraction from the biooxidation residue of the refractory gold concentrate.The results showed that the optimal reagent conditions were 0.18 M thiosulfate,0.02 M copper(II),1.0 M ammonia,and 0.24 M sulfite.Under these conditions,a maximum gold leaching efficiency of 85.05%was obtained.

Well-controlled stirring tank leaching to improve bio-oxidation efficiency of a high sulfur refractory gold concentrate

For the high sulfur refractory gold concentrate with 41.82%sulfur and 15.12 g/t gold,of which 82.11%was wrapped in sulfide,a well-controlled stirring tank leaching was carried out to improve the bio-oxidation efficiency.Results show that bio-oxidation pretreatment can greatly improve the gold recovery rate of high-sulfur refractory gold concentrate,and at the optimum pH 1.3 in this study,compared with the process without pH control,the oxidation rate of sulfur increased from 79.31%to 83.29%,while the recovery rate of gold increased from 76.54%to 83.23%;under this condition the activity of mixed culture could be sustained and the formation of jarosite could diminish.The results also displayed that for the high sulfur refractory gold concentrate,the recovery of gold is positively correlated with the oxidation rate of sulfur,and the recovery rate of gold increases with the increase of sulfur oxidation rate within a certain range.

Mineralogical characterization and pretreatment for antimony extraction by ozone of antimony-bearing refractory gold concentrates

The mineralogical characterization of antimony-bearing refractory gold concentrates and the antimony extraction by ozonein HCl solution were investigated.The mineralogical study shows that there exist stibnite(Sb2S3),arsenopyrite(FeAsS),pyrite(FeS2)and quartz in the concentrates,and the gold is mainly(67.42%)encapsulated in sulfides.The antimony extraction by ozone inhydrochloric acid was employed and the influences of temperature,liquid/solid ratio,HCl concentration and stirring speed on theextraction of antimony were investigated.High antimony extraction(93.75%)is achieved under the optimized conditions.After thepretreatment by ozone,the antimony is recovered efficiently and the gold is enriched in the leaching residue.

Effect of chloride ion on bacterial pre-oxidation of arsenic-containing gold concentrate

The bacterial pre-oxidation process of arsenic-containing gold concentrates and the bacterial activity under different chloride ion concentrations were studied by using a mixture of thermophilic strains TCJ domesticated in production.The experimental result shows that with different samples and leaching systems,the adaptability and Cl- tolerance of bacteria are different,and that appropriate chloride ion concentration is conductive to bacterial oxidation,while higher chloride ion concentration will inhibit the bacterial activity and affect the pre-oxidation performance.Under the present production conditions,TCJ can adapt to the changes of water quality in the source of water and its critical chloride ion tolerance value is 2.7 g/L.

Effect of mixed moderately thermophilic adaptation on leachability and mechanism of high arsenic gold concentrate in an airlift bioreactor

A refractory gold concentrate with 19% arsenic was treated by a mixed moderately thermophiles in an airlift bioreactor through an adaptation protocol. The moderately thermophiles could respond well to 20%(w/v) pulp density with less than 10% loss of productivity, and resist arsenic up to 15 g/L. There were a lot of jarosite, arsenolite and sulfur, but not scorodite and ferric arsenate in the bioleached residue. Jarosite passivation and lower sulfur-oxidizing activity of the cells due to the toxicity of the high concentrations of soluble arsenic and iron ions at low p H value should mainly response for the incomplete extraction at high pulp density. The initial bacterial community did not change in nature except for new found P aeruginosa ANSC, but sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms have been dominant microorganisms after a long time of adaptation. Pseudomonas aeruginosa originating from the gold concentrate should be closely relative to the metabolism of the organic matters contained in the refractory gold concentrate.

Influence of surfactants on bioleaching of arsenic-containing gold concentrate

To shorten the bioleaching cycle of arsenic-containing gold concentrate, surfactants were used to promote the interaction between bacteria and ore to increase the arsenic leaching rate. Three different kinds of surfactants were used to evaluate the effects of surfactants on the growth of bacteria and arsenic leaching rate of arsenic-containing gold concentrate. The mechanism underlying surfactant enhancement was also studied. Results show that when relatively low-concentration surfactants are added to the medium, no significant difference is observed in the growth and Fe2+ oxidation ability of the bacteria compared with no surfactant in the medium. However, only the anionic surfactant calcium lignosulfonate and the nonionic surfactant Tween 80 are found to improve the arsenic leaching rates. Their optimum mass concentrations are 30 and 80 mg/L, respectively. At such optimum mass concentrations, the arsenic leaching rates are approximately 13.7% and 9.1% higher than those without the addition of surfactant, respectively. Mechanism research reveals that adding the anionic surfactant calcium lignosulfonate improves the percentage of bacterial adhesion on the mineral surface and decreases the surface tension in the leaching solution.

Microbial oxidation of refractory gold sulfide concentrate by a native consortium

A defined mesophilic consortium including an iron oxidizing bacterium and a sulfur oxidizing bacterium was constructed to evaluate its ability for bioleaching a flotation concentrate from Andacollo mine in Neuquén,Argentina.Experiments were performed in shake flasks with a pulp density of10%(w/v),using a basal salt medium containing ferrous iron at pH1.8.The leaching solutions were analyzed for pH,redox potential(using specifics electrodes),ferrous iron(by UV-Vis spectrophotometry)and metal concentrations(by atomic absorption spectroscopy).The results showed that the consortium was able to reduce the refractory behavior of the concentrate,allowing91.6%of gold recovery;at the same time,high dissolution of copper and zinc was reached.These dissolutions followed a shrinking core kinetic model.According to this model,the copper solubilization was controlled by diffusion through a product layer(mainly jarosite),while zinc dissolution did not show a defined control step.This designed consortium,composed of bacterial strains with specific physiological abilities,could be useful not only to optimize gold recovery but also to decrease the leachates metallic charge,which would be an environmental advantage.

Deep- Seated Tectonic Activation of Tancheng-Lujiang Fault Zone and Its Control over Jiaodong Gold Concentrated Region, China

A comprehensive discussion on the deep seated genesis of gold metallogenic materials and the tectono magmatic controls over gold deposits is given in this paper, which is based on the crustal and upper mantle structural characteristics of the Jiaodong massif, the property, activation history and styles of the Tancheng Lujiang fault zone, as well as a series of accompanying tectono magmatic events. Prediction for further prospecting gold deposits in the area is also made.

A new extraction process of refractory gold arsenosulfide concentrates

A new hydrometallurgical process for the refractory gold arsenosulfideconcentrates under normal temperature and pressure was presented. The experimental results of arefractory gold concentrate show that the total consumption of NaOH in alkaline leaching is only 40%of those theoretically calculated under the conditions of full oxidization at the same oxidation ofarsenic to ar-senate and sulfur to sulfate. After alkaline leaching, cyanidation and adsorptionwere carried out for 24 h. The dissolution of gold by NaCN is increased to 95.3% from 12.8% beforepretreatment, and meanwhile 99.3% of the adsorption of gold by activated charcoal. The consumptionof NaCN for one ton ore is 10 kg, which is 1.2 times less than that before pretreatment. As it iscarried out under normal temperature and pressure, the investment of installations is alsodecreased.

Optimal Dearsenification Parameters of Gold Sulfide Concentrate with a High As Content

The gold sulfide concentrate with a high As content in Liangshan District, Sichuan Province, China, is a potentially important resource. This paper describes experiments of dearsenification of gold concentrate in a weakly reduced atmosphere in a rotary pipe furnace. The results showed that the optimal parameters were a temperature range of 650-700℃, 15%-16% CO2 of gas and a reaction time of 30-40 min. The removal rate of arsenic and sulfur was over 95% and 25%-28%, respectively. With further oxidization and roasting, residue sulfur in the roasted materials was dropped to below 4%, and the cyanide leaching recovery of gold was over 92%.

Effect of As(Ⅲ)on kinetics of Fe^(2+)bio-oxidation

Fe^(2+) bio-oxidation influenced by toxic metal ions released from the dissolution of arsenic-bearing gold ores was investigated.Fe^(2+) bio-oxidation by moderately thermophilic microorganisms was studied under different initial concentrations of Fe^(2+) and As(Ⅲ),and Monod equation was used to fit the Fe^(2+) bio-oxidation under different conditions.Results showed that the Fe^(2+) bio-oxidation rate increased as the initial Fe^(2+) concentration increased until it reached 12 g/L.As(Ⅲ)severely inhibited Fe^(2+) bio-oxidation.When the As(Ⅲ)concentration was 8 g/L,9 g/L Fe^(2+) was more than 200 h.The Monod equation fitted the Fe^(2+) bio-oxidation well.In the absence of As(Ⅲ),the maximum specific growth rate of the culture and the substrate affinity constant were 0.142 h^(−1) and 0.053 g/L,respectively.As(Ⅲ)inhibited Fe^(2+) bio-oxidation via competitive inhibition,and the inhibition constant was 0.0035 g/L.