Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6672351 | Minerals Engineering | 2018 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Several low temperature pre-leaching experiments in acidic and alkaline solutions, followed by cyanidation were performed which ultimately led to the further investigation of a caustic pre-leaching step. The Au recovery were found to be a balance between the Au being released for cyanidation through gangue mineral dissolution and the Au being leached/lost in the pre-leaching step. Depending on the NaOH concentration, the major elements (excluding Na) in the pre-leach solution were found to be Si (500-8500â¯mg/L), S (2400-1800â¯mg/L), Al (350-50â¯mg/L), Zn (10-100â¯mg/L), Fe (60-75â¯mg/L) and As (20-55â¯mg/L). Au recovery in the subsequent cyanide and elution step increased with pre-treatment temperature and NaOH concentration, reaching a peak before either stabilising or decreasing. Longer pre-leaching residence time and a lower solids percentage resulted in less Au being recovered.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering (General)
Authors
C.A. Snyders, G. Akdogan, S.M. Bradshaw, J.H. van Vreden, R. Smith,