Precious metal recovery using thiocyanate lixiviant

A method for removing copper and precious metal from a mineral material feed comprising copper and comprising precious metal locked in one or more sulfide mineral, the method comprising:

• pressure oxidizing the mineral material feed in particulate form slurried in an aqueous liquid to decompose at least a portion of the sulfide mineral, the pressure oxidizing comprising dissolving at least a majority of the copper of the mineral material feed into the aqueous liquid;
• recovering from the pressure oxidizing solid residue and acidic liquid effluent, the solid residue comprising at least a portion of the precious metal from the mineral material feed, the liquid effluent comprising in solution at least a majority of the copper of the mineral material feed;
• thiocyanate leaching at least a portion of the solid residue with an acidic thiocyanate leach solution to dissolve into the thiocyanate leach solution in the form of precious metal-thiocyanate complex at least a portion of the precious metal from the solid residue;
• and
• separating from the liquid effluent and recovering in a purified copper-containing product at least a majority of the copper dissolved in the liquid effluent.