Irgiredmet JSC, Irkutsk, Russia:

A. V. Epiforov, Senior researcher, Candidate of Thechnical Sciences, e-mail: epiforov@irgiredmet.ru

A. N. Seleznev, Researcher, e-mail: lost.ofp@gmail.com

Irgiredmet JSC, Irkutsk, Russia¹ ; Irkutsk National Research Technical University, Irkutsk, Russia²:
A. A. Kozlov, Junior researcher¹, PhD student², e-mail: zaxfer@mail.ru

Irkutsk National Research Technical University, Irkutsk, Russia:

N. V. Nemchinova, Head of the Department of Metallurgy of non-ferrous metals, Doctor of Thechnical Sciences, Professor, e-mail: ninavn@yandex.ru

The gold dissolution in sulfuric acid media during industrial atmospheric oxidation tests of sulfide gold-copper flotation concentrates was founded. The reason for this was using of technological water containing of thiocyanates and cyanides, which can gold dissolving under these conditions. The carbon in column (CIC) process for gold recovery from these solutions was proposed. However, significant amounts of copper and iron to activated carbon were adsorbed during CIC technology industrial tests. And gold content in loaded carbon did not exceed 0.5 kg/t. For gold and impurities elution and carbon regeneration and activation lab tests were carried out. It was shown, that the copper recovery from loaded carbon during cyanide treatment was about 95%. The copper content in the carbon after cyanide treatment was 1.76 kg/t. The gold recovery during high temperature elution (175–180 oC) by alkaline solution was 98%. The hydrochloric acidic treatment with thermal pretreatment for iron and calcium removing from goldfree carbon was proposed. In this case, the iron and calcium extractions from carbon were 40–45 and 50–55% respectively. These tests shown, that for circulated carbon processing the sequence of operations “cyanide treatment – high temperature gold elution – thermal pretreatment – hydrochloric acidic treatment” can be used. For testing of this processes combination efficiency the carbon before and after processing was tested. It was shown, that the maximum gold content had the fresh activated carbon (5.7 kg/t). The content of gold in regenerated carbon was 4 kg/t. The content of gold in loaded carbon was 1.7 kg/t.

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