Gold(III) recovery using synthetic chelating resins with amine, thio and amine/mercaptan functionalities

Different resins with amine, thio and amine-mercaptan functionalities were synthesized through the polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate in presence of divinylbenzene as cross-linker. The resins obtained were tested for the recovery of gold(III) from its acidic media. The amine-mercaptan containing resins were found to be more efficient in the recovery of gold(III) where an uptake value of 2.23 mmol/g was reported. The adsorption data were found to fit with Langmuir isotherm. The uptake of gold(III) and regeneration of the resins were studied using the column method. Elution efficiency up to 90-98% was reached using thiourea.