Advances in gold ore processing / Достижения в переработке золотых руд

This paper presents a brief overview of some IRGIREDMET advances in gold hydrometallurgy. Original impulse-percolation technology and equipment for intensive cyanidation of gravity
concentrates have been developed and introduced into industrial practice by IRGIREDMET since 1980s (RF Patents N1593250). The process is based on leaching using special hydrodynamic and reagent conditions providing high dissolution rate for coarse gold particles. Gold and silver are precipitated from pregnant solution by cementation or electrowinning. There was also proposed an improved cementation method using zinc in a contact with electrically conductive material. The units including closed water recirculation, tails detoxification and semi-dry tails disposal were developed for the mines and operations without their own cyanidation facilities.
IRGIREDMET is well experienced in gold adsorption technology using ion exchange resins and activated carbons. The comparison of CIL and RIL processes were done for a number of gold mines, for example for Sukhoi Log gold deposit. The properties of prospective foreign and domestic adsorbents including strong-base, bi-functional and weak-base resins as well as activated carbons were studied. The Institute has developed some adsorption/elution technologies and equipment, such as a two stage RIP adsorption technology for gold/silver ores, an improved technology for gold elution from loaded resin and carbon, electrowinning cells for gold recovery from RIP and CIP eluates etc. Large scale “Resin In Pulp” tests using weak-base resin were finalized and process design criteria were developed. Gold plant design is on progress at the moment.  <...>