EXTRACTIVE METALLURGY OF GOLD

5. Enrichment in solution
Fathi Habashi
Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
Fathi.Habashi@arul.ulaval.ca

Concentration - Purification

Adsorption on activated charcoal

Ion exchange
Solvent extraction

Adsorption
on activated Ion exchange Solvent extraction
charcoal
Maximum
efficiency

dilute
solution

dilute solution concentrated

solution

Speed

slow

slow

rapid

Capacity

low

high

high

Clarity of
solution

clear or
turbid

clear or turbid clear

Method of
operation

batch or
batch,
continuous
semisemicontinuous continuous, or
continuous

Cost
Mechanism

low
physical

high
physicochemical

moderate
chemical

Adsorption & Ion Exchange

1.
Sorption
Feed or
influent

Effluent
to waste

Washing
Water

Loosely
sorbed
effluent
to waste

2.
Elution
Eluent

Eluate
for metal
recovery

Washing
Water

To waste

Solvent Extraction
Leach
solution

Extraction

Barren
solution
(raffinate)

Organic phase
(loaded)

Strip
solution

Stripping

Organic phase
recycle
(unloaded)

Pure metal salt for

reduction to metal

Recovery

Strip
solution
recycle

Precipiteting
agent

Varieties of Carbon
Carbon black
Prepared by the incomplete combustion of gaseous or liquid
carbonaceous material, e.g., natural gas, acetylene, oils, resins, tar,
etc., in a limited supply of air. It is nonporous fine particles of carbon.
Example: lamp black and acetylene black. Used as pigments, in the
rubber industry, and in ink manufacture.
Charcoals
Prepared by heating of solid carbonaceous material such as coal,
wood, nut shells, sugar, and synthetic resins at about 600 C in the
absence of air, to volatilize the component elements other than carbon
a process known as carbonization. Such charcoals have low
porosity
Activated charcoal
Prepared by heating charcoal at 400800C for a limited time with air,
chlorine, or steam. A highly porous material is produced. Used as an
adsorbent in the chemical and the metallurgical industry, usually in
the form of pellets about 2 mm in diameter.

Charcoal vs.
Graphite

Activated Charcoal
Surface Oxides
=

O
C

OH

Carboxylic
acid

Phenolic
hydroxyl

Quinone
carbonyl

O
OH

O
=

O
=

OH

O
Normal
lactone

Fluorescein
lactone

Cyclic
peroxide

Carboxylic
anhydride

Activated Charcoal
Effect of Oxygen on Adsorption

Acid adsorption,
m equiv./g

100
80
60
40
20
0

20
60
100
Oxygen pressure, mm Hg

ADSORPTION
Mechanism
Surface

Bulk of solid

Adsorption Isotherm 1
Emperical
Freundlich Isotherm
Gases
w = kp1/n
Aq. Solutions w = kC1/n

Adsorption Isotherm 2
Theoretical: Langmuir
kp(1 ) = k

Adsorption of Gold & Silver

from cyanide solution
CN

1.4
1.2
1.0
[Au(CN) 2]

0.8
0.6

[Ag(CN) 2]

0.4
0.2
0

1
2
Log concentration in solution

Adsorption
Effect of Temperature
Silver on charcoal
micromoles Ag/g charcoal

Log concentration in charcoal

1.6

25 C
400

40 C
54 C

300

63.5 C

200

73.5 C

100
0
0

2.5

5.0

7.5

10.0

12.5

Silver in solution, millimolesAg/L

Adsorption
effect of organic solvents
100
90

With 20%
ethanol

Gold desorption %

80
70
60
50
40

Without
ethanol

30
20
10
0

10

15

20

Number of bed volumes

of strip solution

De-sorption
Effect of Temperature
100

Gold desorption %

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Temperature, C

Engineering Aspects 1

Sorption of the gold cyanide complex on charcoal.

Washing with water to remove the entrained solution.
Desorption, usually with a solution of 0.2% NaCN
and 1% NaOH at 90 C.
Acid washing to remove CaCO3 precipitate.
Washing the depleted charcoal with water to remove
the entrained solution.
Dewatering, activation by heating for 30 minutes at
700 C in absence of air, then quenching and
recycling.

Engineering Aspects 2

Two factors contribute to the choice of the

adsorption process:
Filtration properties of the pulp
Presence of organic matter in the ore

10

Engineering Aspects 3

Column process
Clear solutions

Carbon-in-pulp process
Ores containing finely divided clay particles which are difficult to filter. In
this process, the cyanide leaching pulp is agitated in tanks with the charcoal
pellets . When adsorption is complete, the pulp is screened to separate the
gold-laden pellets for washing and de-sorption. The process has the
advantage of eliminating filtration.

Carbon-in-leach process
Ores containing organic matter

Adsorption on Charcoal

SUMMARY

Activated charcoal is hydrophilic because of the

organic surface complexes formed during activation.
It has a large surface area and a high porosity
Adsorption of gold or silver cyanide complexes is a
physical process
Oxygen is necessary for adsorption processes
Adsorption decreases when the solution contains an
organic solvent of lower polarity than water since
under these conditions the electrostatic forces of
attraction decrease
Adsorption decreases with increased temperature

11

Ion Exchange

Ion Exchange 2
+
+
+ +
+ +
+
+

+ +

Matrix

Holes

+
+
+

+
+
+ +
+
+

12

Ionogenic Groups
A matrix carries a positive or a negative
electric charge
This is compensated by ions of opposite
sign, called counter-ions
Ions of the same sign as that on the
framework are called co-ions
The counter-ions are free to move within
the framework and can be replaced by
other ions of the same sign, while the
fixed ions are not mobile

Ion Exchange Equations

13

Ion Exchange Equipment

Columns. Clear solutions
Resin-inPulp. Slurry
Continuous

system.

Clear solutions

Resin-in-Pulp
Reciprocating rod
Stainless steel
angle frame

Stainless steel screen on

four sides and bottom

Binder strip
bolted to frame

Top of
stroke

Bottom of
stroke

14

Continuous Ion Exchange System

Mixer Settlers
Organic
Aqueous

Aqueous
Organic

EXTRACTION

Settler

Unloaded

Rafinate
(recycle to
leaching)

Mixer

Organic

Leach
solution

STRIPPING

Strip
solution
to metal
recovery

Wash
solution

Loaded

EXTRACTION

Strip solution
to metal recovery
STRIPPING

Leach
solution
Wash
solution

Organic

Rafinate
(recycle to
leaching)

Unloaded

Strip
solution

Strip
solution

15

Columns
Solvent
outlet

Aqueous
inlet

Solvent
outlet

Interface

Loaded solvent

Aqueous
inlet

Aqueous
feed

Perforated
plates

Piston
Solvent
inlet

Solvent
inlet

Solvent
feed

Interface

Aqueous
outlet

Aqueous
outlet
Raffinate

THANKS

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