Chemistry of inorganic compounds – Treating mixture to obtain metal containing compound – Group ib metal
Patent
1991-09-12
1993-11-09
Brunsman, David
Chemistry of inorganic compounds
Treating mixture to obtain metal containing compound
Group ib metal
C01G 700
Patent
active
052600408
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to the extraction and recovery of gold from gold-bearing material. Such material encompasses gold bearing ores, concentrates, anodic slimes and residues, as well as gold-bearing metallic scrap, and materials previously treated by roasting, bacterial leaching, pressure leaching or other techniques required to liberate the gold from its matrix.
The invention relates to the extraction and recovery of gold from gold bearing materials, for example those above mentioned, using leaching methods such as continuous or batch stirred tank agitation, vat leaching, or the in situ techniques such as dump and heap leaching, or the in situ technique of solution mining.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
At present, the conventional cyanide leach process is used almost universally to extract gold. However, the growing concern over safety and environmental hazards associated with the use of cyanide combined with the limited use of the process for treatment of problematic gold ores (e.g., refractory sulfide ores, carbonaceous ores, ores containing significant amounts of cyanocides) requires development of an economically viable, alternative leach process.
Gold is readily dissolved in acidified solutions containing thiourea, using manganese dioxide, hydrogen peroxide or ferric ions as the oxidant D. W. Bilston, R. N. Millet and J. T. Woodcock (1987) Proc. Confer. "Research and Development in Extractive Metallurgy" (Aus. I.M.M. Melbourne) pp. 19-28]. However, this gold dissolution process has found little application in the gold industry. The main drawback has been the excessive oxidative degradation of thiourea which occurs in the presence of the above mentioned oxidants. The relevant chemical reactions can be written in two stages involving initial oxidation to formamidine disulfide(1), followed by further irreversible decomposition to sulfur, cyanamide and thiourea(2).
Reaction (1) is much faster than reaction (2) and was considered as the dominant reaction in determining the relative consumption of thiourea. Furthermore, the rapid consumption of thiourea during the leach process is often associated with passivation of gold in the feed material, and hence low gold recoveries. Consequently, in the past, the thiourea leaching process has proved very unattractive in comparison with the universally accepted cyanidation process.
In recent work it has been shown that the use of sulphur dioxide in conjunction with thiourea significantly reduces reagent loss through oxidative degradation (R. G. Schulze (1984) J. Metals 36 (6) pp. 62-65). However, the lowering of thiourea consumption by using sulphur dioxide has not always been achieved in practice D. W. Bilston, R. N. Millet and J. T. Woodcock (1987) Proc. Conf. "Research and Development in Extractive Metallurgy" (Aus. I.M.M. Melbourne) pp. 19-28. The same workers have also patented the use of a substituted thiourea, i.e. ethylene thiourea. This particular derivative is more stable to oxidation and exhibits a far greater resistance to oxidative degradation than thiourea R. G. Schulze (1983) German Patent 3347165]. However, the cost of ethylene thiourea is too high to be considered as an economic alternative.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is based on the discovery that the oxidative degradation of thiourea by Fe.sup.3+ is markedly reduced by the use of chemical reagents which have the ability to complex Fe.sup.3+ in acidic solutions.
The invention accordingly provides a process for the hydrometallurgical recovery of gold from gold-bearing material comprising the step of treating gold bearing material with an acidic lixiviant solution containing thiourea and ferric ions, characterised in that the said solution also includes a complexing agent for ferric ions.
The oxidising power or strength of Fe.sup.3+ is reduced to an extent where gold dissolution still occurs at an appreciable rate and the oxidative degradation of thiourea by Fe.sup.3+ is markedly reduced.
Gold in solution as the Au(thiourea).sup.1+ species, in the presenc
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Brunsman David
CRA Services Limited
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