Gold Extraction

Principles of Extractive Metallurgy

MTEN 318
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
University of Ghana, Legon-Accra
by

Benjamin Agyei-Tuffour
 This course
 Technological classification of gold bearing ores
 Recovery routes for gold
 Chemistry of gold extraction
 Leaching of Gold
 Carbon adsorption technology
 Gold elution process
 Gold electrowinning process
 Smelting process
 Gold

Soft, dense, metallic yellow, specific gravity - 19.3

 Recovery routes for gold
 Sorting by virtue of its colour
 Gravity separation by virtue of the high specific
gravity
 Formation of amalgam with mercury
 Flotability of associated sulphide minerals
 Dissolution in highly oxidising acidic or alkaline
environments
 Deposits and Ores
 Mineral
 naturally occurring solid that has a distinct chemical
composition and structure
 Rock
 an aggregate of minerals
 Deposit
 rock mass that contains significant quantities of a mineral
 Ores
 rock mass from which a mineral of interest can be
recovered economically, given the available level of
technology
 Geochemistry of gold ores
 Gold is generally dissolved and transported by oxidizing
hydrothermal fluids
 It is precipitated when the fluid encounters a reducing
environment
 The types of rock through which the hydrothermal fluid
passes, control the reactions that lead to gold deposition
 Minerals such as sulphides and carbon-containing
minerals are able to generate the reducing environment
necessary for gold deposition
 Characteristics of gold ores
 Gold grain size distribution
 Type of gangue minerals
 Mineral associations and alterations
 Mineralogical mode of occurrence
 Variations of the above items within the same
ore body
Mineral associations
 Technological classification of
gold ores
 Non-refractory;
 placer,
 free-milling,
 oxidized
 Refractory
 Placer
 Alluvial
 Eluvial and
 Colluvial
 In such ores, gold exists in the free-state as
discrete particles
 Derived from primary hard rock deposits
that have undergone several cycles of erosion
and deposition
 Free milling
 About 95 % of the gold can be recovered by
gravity concentration and/or simple
cyanidation after grinding to 80 % -75 µm
 Free milling ores may be palaeoplacer or
quartz vein type and gold is in the matrix of
hard rocks
Conglomerates and veins
 Oxidised gold ores
 Oxidised ores are generally obtained from
weathering of primary sulphide deposits
 Alteration processes lead to a breakdown of the
rock structure with increase in permeability
 Rock oxidation leads to the formation of
hydrated minerals, clay minerals, partially
oxidized sulphides and host of other sulphates
and oxides.
 Refractory gold ores
 Refractory
 Sulphides
 Carbonaceous matter
 Cyanicides
 Tellurides
 Classification
Table 1 Classification of Refractory Gold Ores

Classification Gold recovery

Free milling More than 95%
Mildly refractory 80 - 95%
Moderately refractory 50 - 80%
Highly refractory Less than 50%
 Pretreatment of refractory
gold ores
 Pyrometallurgical methods
 Roasting

 Hydrometallurgical
 Pressure oxidation
 Chlorine oxidation
 Bacterial oxidation
 Roasting

 Controlled oxidation of refractory ores to

effect decomposition of volatiles
 Target minerals
 Pyrite
 Arsenopyrite
 Carbonaceous matter
 Major reactions
4FeS2 + 11O2 2Fe2O3 + 8SO2
2FeAsS + 5O2 Fe2O3 + As2O3 + 2SO2

C + O2 CO2

 Environmental Effects
 Acidic gases
 Carcinogenic substances

 Herbicides
 Leaching, adsorption,
desorption and recovery
Potential-pH diagrams

Eh-pH conditions
for the natural
environment
Eh-pH diagram for metal M
1.0
M3+
A
O2
0.5 H2O
M2O3
M2+
ESHE/ v

0.0
H2O
H+ B

0.5 M3O4

M
-1.0
2 4 6 8 10 12 14

pH
 Leaching
 Selective dissolution of a metal or mineral
 The metal dissolved should acquire stability in the
aqueous phase
 Stability can be acquired by hydration of complex ion
formation
Lixiviant

Pregnant Solution (mainly

Material the valuable mineral)
Leaching

Residue (gangue) Tails

Thermodynamics of gold leaching
G  nFE
RT  Products 
E  E0  log 
nF  Reactants 

RT
E  E0  log[ Au  ]
nF
Au  Au   e E 0  1.73V

E1 = 1.73 + 0.0591 log [Au+]

E2 = 1.50 + 0.0197 log [Au3+]
 Lixiviants for gold dissolution
 Primary leaching reagent is oxygen
 To keep the free gold ions in solution very low
in order to drive the reaction (make E positive
and G, negative) complexing agents are added
as secondary leaching reagents
 Cyanide has been the reagent of choice for over
100 years
Eh-pH for the Au-H2O system
Eh-pH for the Au-H2O-CN system
 Cyanidation
4Au + 8NaCN + O2 + 2H2O 

4Na[Au(CN)2] + 4NaOH

gold + sodium cyanide + oxygen + water 

gold in solution + sodium hydroxide

Effect of pH on cyanide stability
pH – power of hydrogen

CN- + H+ HCN(g)

CN- + H2O HCN(g) + OH-

 Major factors affecting gold
dissolution
 Oxygen/reagent concentration
 Particle size
 Temperature
 Pulp density
 Agitation
 Residence time
 Types of leaching systems
 Agitation and non-agitation systems
 Non-agitation systems
 Insitu
 Heap
 Dump
 Vat

 Agitation systems
 Agitation by air or impellers or both
 Gold recovery from solution
 Zinc Cementation

 Activated Carbon Adsorption

 Ion exchange/solvent extraction

 Electrowinning
 Activated carbons
 High surface area carbon-containing materials
 Preparation: Thermochemical decomposition
of carbonaceous solids
 Natural materials, e.g., wood, vegetable
matter
 Synthetic, e.g., organic polymers
 Production
 High temperature treatment
 Dehydration (elimination of water)
 Carbonization (elimination of non-carbon
components)
 Activation (development of high internal
surface area)
 Activation  complex and extensive network
of internal pores
 Sequence
Dehydration
Heating source material at ~ 170C  Elimination of
water
Carbonization
Heating dehydrated product in absence of air 400-
600C  Relatively nonporous product (char)
Activation
Expose char to oxidizing agents (e.g., air, steam,
carbon dioxide) at ~ 700 – 1000
C + H2O COH2 C + H2
 Three kinds of pores
Specific
Pore types Pore diameter Pore Volume
surface area
d > 100 – 200
Macropores 0.2 – 0.8 0.5 – 2.0
nm
Transitional 1.6 nm < d
pores 0.02 – 0.1 20 - 70
(Mesopores) < 100-200 nm

Micropores d < 1.6 nm 0.15 – 0.50 500 - 1500

Micropores usually generate > 95% of a carbon’s specific

surface area
NOTE: In current terminology, “Micropores” are really
“Nanopores”.
 Molecular and crystalline structure
 Highly disturbed graphite structure
 Carbonization process  Graphite-like
microcrystallites arranged randomly in char
particle.
 Diameter of microcrystallite sheet: ~ 150 Å
 Microcrystallite – to – microcrystallite distance ~
20 - 50 Å
Graphitic structure
 Surface functional groups
 Contained oxygen  Variety of carbon-oxygen surface
groups
 Carbon-oxygen groups: Significant role in adsorptive
properties of carbons
Technical application of activated
carbon

 Carbon in solution (CIS)

 Carbon-in-pulp (CIP)
 Carbon-in-leach (CIL)
 Carbon-in-columns (CIC)

Sequence of
carbon transfer
CIP/CIL Flow sheet
 Criteria for selecting activated
carbon
 Physically hard to resist mechanical breakdown
(attrition) during mixing and transfer processes,
 Particle size and shape that allows easy separation
from pulp by screening.
 High gold activity and hence high adsorption rate
 Ability to release the gold rapidly during
stripping, and
 High adsorption capacity.
 Carbon fouling
 Inorganic
 Calcium carbonate
 Magnesium hydroxide
 Silica, iron oxides, and cyanides

 Organic
 Oil
 Grease
 Flotation reagents
 Acid washing/rinsing
 Acid washing to remove inorganic foulants
 HCl used (1- 5%). The concentration normally
depends on the calcium build-up

 Rinsing
 To remove chloride ions
 The may be emitted during reactivation
 Or enter electrowinning cells to attack anodes
Elution/desorption/stripping
 Elution generates a solution richer in gold
 Zadra process – up to 130oC, 1% NaOH and 0.2%
NaCN
 The Anglo-American Research laboratories (AARL)
- pre-treatment of the loaded carbon with 1.5 - 5%
NaCN and 1% NaOH, elution with water between
110 and 130oC
Adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)

Adsorption unit 
 
Loaded carbon
 
Spent acid  Acid washing reactivated carbon
 
Wash water  Rinsing regeneration
 
Elution  barren carbon

Eluate

Electrowinning

Cathodes

Acid leaching and/or calcinations

Smelting

Gold Bullion
 Regeneration
 It is done to improve the activity of carbon
 Generally takes care of organic foulants
 650 – 900 oC
 Feed – barren carbon
 Carbon drawn from hopper into drying
section of kiln and heated to 90oC and 25%
moisture
 After regeneration
 Quenching and sizing
 Quenching or rapid cooling helps to break off any
weak zones so that only suitable oversize
particles are recycled

 Undersize is rejected and oversize recycled

 The frequency of carbon regeneration may be
determined by monitoring the activity of carbon
in the adsorption circuit
 It is recommended that the activity of carbon
should not fall below 50% of the activity of fresh
carbon before it is reactivated
 Electrowinning
 Cell
 Electrodes (good connection to prevent
heating)
 Electrolyte (high concentration)
Reaction

NaAu (CN)2 +e-  Au + Na CN + CN-

2H2O  4H + + O2 + 4e-
Some reactions in the system
Au (CN)2- AuCN + CN-

AuCN + e- AuCN-

AuCN- Au + CN-

2H2O 4H+ + O2 + 4e

CN- + 2OH- CNO- + H2O + 2e-

CN- + H2O + OH- NH3 + CO2

Process consideration
 Polarisation
 Overpotential
Decomposition potential
 Factors affecting efficiency
 Temperature
 pH and corrosion of electrodes
 Current/current density
 Conductivity
 Cathode surface area
 Cell voltage
 Presence of other metals and sulfides
 Smelting
 Heating the charge till it becomes molten

 Addition of fluxes that:

 Reduce melting temperature
 Serve as a sink for impurities
 Protects furnace linings
 Inhibit volatilization

 Possible layers in smelting

 Slag, matte, speiss, bullion
 Flux
 Borax
 Reduces melting point and viscosity
 Silica
 Reacts with base metals
 Potassium nitrate (nitre)
 Oxidizing agent and oxidizes many base metals
present so that they do not report in the bullion.

 Others
 Manganese dioxide, sodium carbonate, calcium
fluoride
 Reactions of fluxes
Na2B4O7 Na2B2O4 + B2O3
ZnO + B2O3 ZnB2O4
Na2CO3 Na2O + CO2
Na2O + SiO2 Na2SiO3
Na2CO3 + Na2SiO3 NaSiO4 + CO2
4FeS2 + 10 KNO3 4FeO + 5K2SO4 + 3SO2 + 5N2
 Flux composition for steelwool
cathodes

Charge component, grams No Acid Calcined

pretreatment leached
Concentrate 1000 1000 1000
Sodium borate 300 20 300 - 800
Silica 1250 0 0 -400
Sodium or potassium nitrate 1500 0 0 - 300
Manganese dioxide 0 0 0
Sodium carbonate 0 0 0 - 300
Calcium fluoride 0 0 0
Charge preparation and smelting

 Types of concentrate
 Cathodes
 Slimes from a zinc press
 Sponge gold from retorting
 Cleaned gravity concentrate

 Charge, smelt at between 1200 and 1400oC

and keep the charge at the final temperature
for about 90 min
 Pour, allow solidification and wash
with dilute HCl
Safety and security in the gold
room
 Crucibles
 Heat
 Use standard disposal procedures
 Be security conscious