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US 2013/0091990 A1Published application
Method for recovering precious metals and copper from leach solutions
AssigneeBarrick Gold Corporation
InventorsYeonuk Choi, Qiankun Wang, John William Langhans, JR.
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Abstract
The present disclosure is directed to a process for recovering a precious metal from a pregnant leach solution using a resin extractant. The precious metal is eluted from the loaded resin using an eluant comprising trithionate. The barren resin is contacted with a sulfide, bisulfide, and/or polysulfide to convert sorbed trithionate to thiosulfate. The desorbed thiosulfate is contacted with an oxidant and converted to trithionate for eluant recycle.
Claims17
A method, comprising:
- (a) contacting a precious metal-containing solution with a barren resin to form a precious metal-loaded resin and a precious metal barren solution;
- (b) contacting the precious metal-loaded resin with a precious metal eluant comprising a trithionate to form a precious metal-rich eluant and a barren resin comprising trithionate;
- (c) contacting the barren resin with at least one of a sulfide, bisulfide and polysulfide to convert at least a portion of the trithionate into thiosulfate;
- and
- (d) contacting the thiosulfate with an oxidant to convert at least a portion of the thiosulfate into a trithionate for recycle to step (b) as an eluant component.
2 more elements
A method, comprising:
- (a) receiving a solution comprising copper and a precious metal;
- (b) contacting the solution with a resin to sorb at least most of the copper and precious metal onto the resin and form a copper- and precious metal-loaded resin;
- (c) contacting the copper- and precious metal-loaded resin with a copper eluant, the copper eluant comprising a thiosulfate and optionally a trithionate to desorb at least most of the copper from the resin in a copper-rich eluant while leaving at least most of the precious metal sorbed on a precious metal-loaded resin;
- (d) contacting the copper-barren precious metal-loaded resin with a precious metal eluant comprising a trithionate to form a precious metal-rich eluant and a barren resin comprising trithionate;
- (c) contacting the barren resin with at least one of a sulfide, bisulfide and polysulfide to convert at least a portion of the trithionate into thiosulfate;
- and
- (d) contacting the thiosulfate with an oxidant to convert at least a portion of the thiosulfate into a trithionate for recycle to step (d) as an eluant component;
- and
- (e) recovering the precious metal from the precious metal-rich eluant.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.