Novel technology on preparation of double-layered pellets for sulfur and arsenic-bearing gold concentrates

Double-layered pellet （DLP） roasting is a novel pretreatment method for sulfur and arsenic-bearing gold concentrates. In this process, preparation of DLPs is a fundamental step which is required to produce DLPs with favorable mechanical strength and thermal stability. Studies were carried out to investigate the affecting factors and conditions on the preparation and properties of DLPs. The results show that moisture content has significant influence on DLPs preparation. With the increase of moisture content in the range of no more than 9.8%, drop resistance and compressive strength of green DLPs are raised and the pelletizing dynamics is improved accordingly. The optimum conditions are determined as moisture content of 9.8%, coating time of 14-16 min, drying temperature 〈80 ℃and drying gas velocity 〈1.2 m/s. When DLPs prepared under these conditions are roasted at 600 ℃ for 1 h, favorable removal and solidifying rates can be obtained, in which the removal rates of arsenic and sulfur are 94.38% and 82.55%, and the solidifying rates of arsenic and sulfur reach 99.62% and 99.79%, respectively. These results promise industrial application of DLP roasting.

XPS characteristics of sulfur of bio-oxidized arsenic-bearing gold concentrate and changes of surface nature of bio-oxidation residue

During bio-oxidation of sulfides, the chemical state change of sulfur is a complex and key factor. It is not only an indicator of the extent and intensity of the bio-oxidation, but also controls the property of bio-leaching medium and the period of oxidation. The chemical state of sulfur in sulfides oxidized by leaching bacteria was studied with XPS. Sulfide minerals in the arsenic-bearing gold concentrate consist of pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite and so on. In order to probe the pattern of the chemical state change of sulfur in the bio-oxidation residue of arsenic-bearing gold concentrate, the structure of the grains, and the surface nature of the residue, XPS test was carried out through different sputtering duration. The study of XPS clearly shows that: sulfides is progressively oxidized from the surface of minerals to the core by leaching bacteria; the chemical valence of sulfur changes from S2- or [S2]2- to [SO4]2-; sulfur in the core is in a reduction state, S2- or [S2]2-, but exists in an oxidation state S6+ on the surface; due to the chemical state change of sulfur, mineral phase of the bio-oxidation residue is also changed（sulfides inside, while sulfates outside）; the layered structure is found in the grains of the bio-oxidation residue.

A new approach for recycling arsenic and tin from low-grade tin middlings using a self-sulfurization roasting

Massive amounts of low-grade tin middlings have been produced from tin tailings,in which arsenic and tin are worthy to be recycled.Owing to high sulfur content in these tin middlings,a novel self-sulfurization roasting was proposed to transform,separate and recover arsenic and tin in this research.There was no extra curing agent to be added,which decreased the formation of pollutant S-containing gas.The self-sulfurization process involved a two-stage roasting of reduction followed by sulfurization.First in reduction roasting,FeAsS decomposed to FeS and As and the As then transformed to As_(4)(g)and As_(4)S_(4)(g),via which the arsenic was separated and recovered.The arsenic content in the first residue could be decreased to 0.72 wt.%.Accompanied with it,the FeS was firstly oxidized to Fe_(1−x)S and then to SO_(2)(g)by the coexisted Fe_(2)O_(3),and finally reduced and combined with the independent Fe_(2)O_(3)to form Fe_(1−x)S.In the followed sulfurization roasting,the Fe_(1−x)S sulfurized SnO_(2)to SnS(g),due to which tin could be recovered and its content in the second residue decreased to 0.01 wt.%.This study provided an efficient method to separate and recover arsenic and tin from low-grade tin middlings.

Characteristics of a gold-doped electrode for application in high-performance lithium-sulfur battery

Bulk sulfur incorporating 3 wt% gold nano-powder is investigated as possible candidate to maximize the fraction of active material in the Li-S battery cathode.The material is prepared via simple mixing of gold with molten sulfur at 120℃,quenching at room temperature,and grinding.Our comprehensive study reports relevant electrochemical data,advanced X-ray computed tomography(CT)imaging of the positive and negative electrodes,and a thorough structural and morphological characterization of the S:Au 97:3 w/w composite.This cathode exhibits high rate capability within the range from C/10 to 1C,a maximum capacity above 1300 mAh gs^(-1),and capacity retention between 85%and 91%after 100 cycles at 1C and C/3 rates.The novel formulation enables a sulfur fraction in the composite cathode film as high as 78 wt%,an active material loading of 5.7 mg cm^(-2),and an electrolyte/sulfur(E/S)ratio of 5μL mg^(-1),which lead to a maximum areal capacity of 5.4 mAh cm^(-2).X-ray CT at the micro-and nanoscale reveals the microstructural features of the positive electrode that favor fast conversion kinetics in the battery.Quantitative analysis of sulfur distribution in the porous cathode displays that electrodeposition during the initial cycle may trigger an activation process in the cell leading to improved performance.Furthermore,the tomography study reveals the characteristics of the lithium anode and the cell separator upon a galvanostatic test prolonged over 300 cycles at a 2C rate.

Valence variation of arsenic in bioleaching process of arsenic-bearing gold ore

The concentration and variational trend of As3 +and As 5+,the bacterial resistance for the As 3+and As 5+and converting conditions from As3 +to As 5+were analyzed.The additive was used to prompt the bacterial leaching efficiency by changing valence state of arsenic.The results show that the concentration of As 3+ is larger than that of As 5+ in the lag phase.The concentration of As 3+ decreases in the log phase,and is lower than that of As5 +.HQ-0211 typed bacteria express better resistance for As 3+and As 5+and remain growing when the concentrations of As3 +and As 5+are above 6.0 g/L and 12.0 g/L,respectively.It is found that Fe 3+cannot oxidize As3 +singly as strong oxidant in the leaching system,but can cooperate with pyrite or chalcopyrite to do that.The oxidation of As 3+ is prompted with addition of H2O2.The bacterial activity is improved in favor of bacterial leaching efficiency.NaClO restrains the bacterial growth to depress leaching efficiency because of the chloric compounds affecting bacterial activity.

THIOUREA LEACHING OF GOLD FROM A CALCINE OF GOLD-BEARING ARSENICAL PYRITE CONCENTRATE

The thiourea leaching of gold from the calcine of gold-bearing arsenical pyrite concentrate of Kangjiawan mine was studied.The effects of the leaching time,the concentrations of thiourea,hydrochloric acid and initial ferric ion on the leaching recovery of gold were investigated,and a regressive model has been established,which showed that the concentrations of thiourea and hydrochloric acid were the most important factors,leaching time the second,and concentration of the initial ferric ion the least・Under the optimal conditions,that is,temperature 50℃,the ratio of liquid to solid 4:1,thiourea 12g/L,hydrochloric acid 1 mol/L,and initial ferric ion 1 g/L,the leaching recoveries of gold and silver were more than 81%and 73%,respectively.The increase of silver recovery and the reduction of thiourea consumption could be attained when sodium sulphite was added.

In-situ sulfur isotope and trace element of pyrite constraints on the formation and evolution of the Nibao Carlin-type gold deposit in SW China

The fault-controlled Nibao Carlin-type gold deposit,together with the strata-bound Shuiyindong deposit,comprise a significant amount of the disseminated gold deposits in southwestern Guizhou Province,China.Five main types and two sub-types of pyrite at the Nibao deposit(Py1a/Py1b,Py2,Py3,Py4,Py5)were distinguished based on detailed mineralogical work.Py1,Py2and Py3 are Au-poor,whereas Py4 and Py5 are Au-rich,corresponding to a sedimentary and hydrothermal origin,respectively.Through systematic in situ analyses of NanoSIMS sulfur isotopes,the framboid pyrite Py1a with negative δ^34S values(-53.3 to-14.9%)from the Nibao deposit were found to originate from bacterial sulfate reduction(BSR)processes in an open and sulfate-sufficient condition while the superheavy pyrite Py1b(73.7–114.8%)is probably due to the potential influence of closed-system Rayleigh fractionation or the lack of preservation of deepsea sediments.Data of Py2 and Py3 plot within the area of S isotope compositions from biogenic and abiogenic sulfate reduction.In view of few coeval magmatic rocks in the mining district,the near zero δ^34S values of the Au-rich pyrites(Py4 and Py5)may discount the potential involvement of magmatic but metamorphic or sedimentary origin.LA-ICP-MS and TEM work show that Au in ore-related pyrite is present as both nanoparticles and structurally bound.LA-ICP-MS analyses show that the Au-rich pyrite also contains higher As,Cu,Sb,Tl and S than other types of pyrite,which inferred a distal manifestation of deep hydrothermal mineralization systems.

Separation of arsenic and antimony from dust with high content of arsenic by a selective sulfidation roasting process using sulfur

The separation of arsenic and antimony from dust with high content of arsenic was conducted via a selective sulfidation roasting process.The factors such as roasting temperature,roasting time,sulfur content and nitrogen flow rate were investigated using XRD,EPMA and SEM-EDS.In a certain range,the sulfur addition has an active effect on the arsenic volatilization because the solid solution phase（（Sb,As）2O3）in the dust can be destroyed after the Sb component in it being vulcanized to Sb2S3 and this generated As2O3 continues to volatile.In addition,an amorphization reaction between As2O（3 ）and Sb2O（3 ）is hindered through the sulfidation of Sb2O3,which is also beneficial to increasing arsenic volatilization rate.The results show that volatilization rates of arsenic and antimony reach 95.36%and only 9.07%,respectively,under the optimum condition of roasting temperature of 350℃,roasting time of 90 min,sulfur content of 22%and N2 flow rate of 70 m L/min.In addition,the antimony in the residues can be reclaimed through a reverberatory process.

Consolidation mechanism of gold concentrates containing sulfur and carbon during oxygen-enriched air roasting

Consolidation in calcines is a common problem in the oxygen-enriched air roasting of refractory gold concentrates containing sulfur and carbon when the initial temperature is greater than 600°C. To determine the phases that caused consolidation, gold concentrates were roasted under different conditions and the calcines were mainly detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The possible underlying mechanism was then studied through comparisons of the XRD patterns of different calcines. The results indicated that the generation of calcium magnesium silicate, iron-doped calcium aluminosilicate, and calcium aluminate caused the consolidation. Furthermore, an enriched oxygen atmosphere accelerated the oxidation reaction and the emitted heat increased the local temperature in calcines. The local temperature was inferred to have increased to the generation temperature zone of the corresponding liquid phases. Oxidation of the pyrite and decomposition of the dolomite and muscovite mainly occurred at the initial stage of oxygen-enriched air roasting. Calcium was confirmed to be essential to the consolidation process. © 2017, University of Science and Technology Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Process and mechanism of hydrothermal stabilization for arsenic sulfide sludge containing elemental sulfur

An optimized hydrothermal treatment was employed to stabilize the arsenic sulfide sludge(ASS). Under the optimal conditions(160 ℃, 2 h, liquid-to-solid(L/S) ratio of 1:1, and initial pH of 2), the leaching concentrations of As and Cd decreased from 504.0 and 12.0 mg/L to 1.23 and 0.03 mg/L of the treated ASS, respectively. The results indicate that the stabilization of the ASS was achieved through structure transformation from the particles into a bulk and the speciation transformation of As and Cd. Besides, sulfur in the ASS could significantly improve the stabilization property due to its melting and polymerization.

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.

Passive behavior of gold in sulfuric acid medium

Anodic behavior of pure Au as compared to platinum （Pt） in H2SO4 solutions was considered by different electrochemical techniques for an appropriate insight. Cyclic voltammetry studies showed two oxidation and one film reduction peaks for Au, while one oxygen evolution reaction for Pt. Increasing H2804 concentration （from 0.5 to 1 mol/L） caused 2-fold increases in peak current density of Au. Increase in agitation promoted passive zone of Au, while it was negligible for Pt by potentiodynamic studies. Potentiostatic studies （2 h） at three anodic passive potentials in 1 mol/L H2SO4 showed that the admittance of Au was found to be the lowest at 1.4 V. Electrochemical noise measurements during the decay periods （16 h） after polarization showed that the thin passive film formed during potentiostatic polarization has been dissolved.

Behavior of S_2O_3^(2-) and SO_3^(2-) in sulfur-bearing aqueous solution system for gold leaching

The concentrations of S2O3 2- and SO3 2- were measured in gold leaching systems,including thiosulfate system,polysulfide system and the modified lime sulfur synthetic solution(ML)system in the process of chemical reaction.The interactions among S2O3 2- ,SO3 2-and S 2-were discussed.The behavior mechanism of sulfur-bearing reagents was proposed to describe the process reactions and their Gibbs free energy.The proper quantity oxygen and SO3 2- reduce decomposition of S2O3 2-and react with sulfur derived from the decomposition of SX 2- .So,SO3 2-ions have action to stabilize sulfur-bearing system and are favorable to leach gold.

In Situ Rb-Sr Dates of Muscovite and Sulfur Isotope of Pyrite from the Yangshan Gold Deposit in Western Qinling,China

Located along the southern part of the West Qinling orogenic belt,the Yangshan gold deposit is one of the largest in China.The major gold ores of Yangshan are disseminated in metasedimentary host rocks with minor native gold amounts in stibnite-gold quartz veins.Pyrite and arsenopyrite are the major Au-bearing minerals.Hydrothermal muscovite from gold-bearing quartz veins was dated using the in situ Rb-Sr method to determine the formation age of the Yangshan gold deposit.The Rb-Sr isochron date of the muscovite yielded 210.1±5.6 Ma(MSWD=1.2).This date is near the lower end of the period of the mineralized granitic dykes(210.49-213.10 Ma).Two stages of gold enriching process are recognized in the gold-bearing pyrite:the first is incorporated with the Co,Cu,As,Ni enrichment;and the second is accompanied by Bi,Co,Ni,Pb,Cu,Sb concentration.The in-situ sulfur isotopic values of pyrites show a restrictedΔ34s range of-1.43‰to 2.86‰with a mean value of 0.43‰.Trace-element mapping and in-situ sulfur isotopic analysis of pyrite suggest that the sulfur deposits are likely derived from a magmatic source and likely assimilated by sulfur from the sedimentary bedrock.Thus,magmatism plays a critical role in the formation of the Yangshan gold deposit.

RELATIONSHIP OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS AND GOLD ENRICHMENT IN THE KUPFERSCHIEFER FROM POLAND AND GERMANY

The contents of polycyclic aromatic sulfur compounds (PASCs) in the Kupferschiefer varied from sample to sample. Twenty PASCs were determined in the Kupferschiefer from Poland and Germany. Gold enrichment was only observed in samples with higher PASC contents. At the same time, all the samples with gold enrichment originated from areas close to the redox boundary (the front section of Rote Fule) that was formed by oxidizing brines in contact with the reducing Kupferschiefer. It is proposed that the gold-bearing solutions encountered PASCs in the Kupferschiefer. PASCs could easily displace chloride ions from aurous chloride complexes to form stable gold S-chelates. Subsequent oxidation of these gold organic compounds could destroy the organic components and lead to the formation of metallic gold.

Leaching Gold Using Oxidation Products of Elemental Sulfur in Ca(OH)_2 Solution under Oxygen Pressure

A gold leaching process by using in situ oxidation products of added elemental sulfur in Ca(OH)2 solution was investigated. A gold concentrate containing 45 g/t Au was tested and 85%~87% of gold were leached. The leached gold depends mainly on the initial molar ratio of elemental sulfur to the hydroxyl ion, the consumption of oxygen and the reaction temperature. Adding some surfactants, such as lignosulfonic calcium, at lower concentration increased the leached Au but at higher concentration decreased it. Both of thermodynamic analysis and experimental results show that thiosulfate is the major complexing agent for gold in the process.

Gold leaching with elemental sulfur in alkaline solutions under oxygen pressure

A gold leaching process by using oxidation products of elemental sulfur in alkaline solutions was proposed and investigated. A gold concentrate and a residue from an arsenic refractory gold concentrate by acidic oxidation leaching were tested. The residue contains 16.3% elemental sulfur and no more elemental sulfur was added in tests. For the concentrate elemental sulfur was added before leaching tests. The leaching ratio of gold depends mainly on the initial equivalent ratio of elemental sulfur to hydroxyl ions, the consumption of oxygen and the reaction temperature in the process. Analysis of the experimental results shows that thiosulfate is the majority complexing reagent for gold in the process. Over 90% gold was leached from the residue and 82%87% from the concentrate by using this process.

Geology and S-Pb isotope geochemistry of the Hatu gold deposit in West Junggar,NW China:Insights into ore genesis and metal source

The Hatu gold deposit is the largest historical gold producer of the West Junggar,western China,with an Au reserve of about 62 t.The orebodies were controlled by NE-,EW-,and NW-trending subsidiary faults associated with the Anqi fault.This deposit exhibits characteristics typical of a fault-controlled lode system,and the orebodies consist of auriferous quartz veins and altered wall rocks within Early Carboniferous volcano-sedimentary rocks.Three stages of mineralization have been identified in the Hatu gold deposit:the early pyrite-albite-quartz stage,the middle polymetallic sulfides-ankerite-quartz stage,and late quartz-calcite stage.The sulfur isotopic values of pyrite and arsenopyrite vary in a narrow range from-0.8‰to1.3‰and an average of 0.4‰,the near-zeroδ~(34)S values implicate the thorough homogenization of the sulfur isotopes during the metamorphic dehydration of the Early Carboniferous volcano-sedimentary rocks.Lead isotopic results of pyrite and arsenopyrite(^(206)Pb/^(204)Pb=17.889-18.447,^(207)Pb/^(204)Pb=15.492-15.571,^(208)Pb/^(204)Pb=37.802-38.113)are clustered between orogenic and mantle/upper crust lines,indicating that the lead was mainly sourced from the hostrocks within the Early Carboniferous Tailegula Formation.The characteristics of S and Pb isotopes suggest that the ore-forming metals of the Hatu orogenic gold deposit are of metamorphogenic origin,associated with the continental collision between the Yili-Kazakhstan and Siberian plates during the Late Carboniferous.

Reduction and deposition of arsenic in copper electrolyte

The influences of temperature, H2SO4 concentration, CuSO4 concentration, reaction time and SO2 flow rate on the reduction of arsenic（V） with SO2 were studied and the deposition behavior of arsenic （III） under the effect of concentration and co-crystallization was investigated in copper electrolyte. The results indicate that reduction rate of arsenic （V） decreases with increasing temperature and H2SO4 concentration, but increases with increasing SO2 flow rate and reaction time, and it can reach 92% under appropriate conditions that reaction temperature is 65 °C, H2SO4 concentration is 203 g/L, CuSO4 concentration is 80 g/L, reaction time is 2 h and SO2 gas flow rate is 200 mL/min. To remove arsenic in the copper electrolyte, arsenic （V） is reduced to trivalence under the appropriate conditions, the copper electrolyte is concentrated till H2SO4 concentration reaches 645 g/L, and then the removal rates of As, Cu, Sb and Bi reach 83.9%, 87.1%, 21.0% and 84.7%. The XRD analysis shows that crystallized product obtained contains As2O3 and CuSO4·5H2O.

Selective removal of As from arsenic-bearing dust rich in Pb and Sb

The selective removal of arsenic from arsenic-bearing dust containing Pb and Sb in alkaline solution was studied. The influence of Na OH concentration, temperature, leaching time, liquid to solid ratio, and the presence of elemental sulfur on the dissolution of As, Sb and Pb in Na OH solution was investigated. The results indicate that the presence of elemental sulfur can effectively prevent leaching of lead and antimony from arsenic. The Sb2O3, As2O3 and Pb5(AsO4)3 OH in the raw material convert to NaSb(OH)6 and PbS in the leaching residue, while arsenic is leached out as As(Ⅲ) or As(Ⅴ) ions in the leaching solution. Arsenic leaching efficiency of 99.84% can be achieved under the optimized conditions, while 97.82% of Sb and 99.97% of Pb remain in the leach residue with the arsenic concentration of less than 0.1%. A novel route is presented for the selective removal of arsenic and potential recycle of lead and antimony from the arsenic-bearing dust leached by Na OH solutions with the addition of elemental sulfur.