Metal recovery method

A method of treating noble metal containing land carbonaceous or having therein noble metal containing composite organic materials including naturally occurring carbonaceous reducing agent components to produce therefrom elemental noble metals, noble metal oxides and other noble metal compounds, said method comprising:

• crushing said mined noble metal containing land carbonaceous ore to produce ore particles;
• fracturing along mineralized boundaries of said ore particles to remove magnetite from said crushed land carbonaceous ore;
• floating said crushed, demagnetized land carbonaceous ore;
• treating said noble metal containing composite organic materials with a strong oxidizing agent, said oxidizing in amounts substantially stoichiometrically balanced with said carbonaceous reducing agent components of said composite organic materials;
• heating said treated composite materials until said materials autogenously ignite;
• allowing complete combustion of said carbonaceous reducing agent components and said strong oxidizing agent in said treated composite materials, whereby the energy released by said autogenous ignition is sufficient to drive all said noble metal compounds into the vapor phase to produce thereby a particulate plasma with solid non-combustible residues remaining in the form of an ash;
• and
• recovering from the vapor phase said noble elemental metals, noble metal oxides and other noble metal compounds.

A method of treating noble metal containing noncarbonaceous land ore having therein noble metal containing composite organic materials, but substantially lacking in carbonaceous reducing agent components to produce therefrom noble elemental metals, noble metal oxides and other noble metal compounds, said method comprising:

• crushing said noncarbonaceous land ore to produce ore particles;
• fracturing along mineralized boundaries of said ore particles to remove magnetite from said crushed noncarbonaceous land ore;
• adding a reducing agent to establish a reducing agent content sufficient to permit an autogenous oxidation-reduction reaction of a temperature above the transition temperature of said noble elemental metals, noble metal oxides and other noble metal compounds sought to be recovered;
• treating said noble metal containing composite organic materials with a strong oxidizing agent in amounts substantially stoichiometrically balanced with said added reducing agent;
• heating said treated composite materials until said materials autogenously ignite;
• allowing complete combustion of said added reducing agent and said oxidizing agent, whereby the energy released by said autogenous ignition is sufficient to drive all said noble elemental metals, noble metal oxides and other noble metal compounds into the vapor phase to produce thereby a particulate plasma with solid noncombustible residues remaining in the form of an ash;
• and
• recovering from the vapor phase said noble elemental metals, noble metal oxides and other noble metal compounds.

A method of treating ores comprised of metal-containing composite organic materials and associated inorganic materials to produce therefrom elemental metals and other metal compounds, said method comprising:

• separating said composite organic materials from said associated inorganic materials by applying ultrasonic energy to water in which said ores are immersed to bring about separation of said composite organic materials from said inorganic materials.
• treating said composite materials with a predetermined amount of an oxidizing agent to produce a treated composite material;
• igniting said materials and allowing substantially complete combustion thereof;
• and
• collecting the solid combustion residues of said materials for subsequent reduction of a portion thereof to the elemental metals which formed the metal component of said composite materials.

A method of treating noble metal-containing, composite organic materials to produce therefrom elemental noble metals, noble metal oxides and other noble metal compounds, said method comprising:

• treating a mass of said composite materials with a water-immiscible, volatile organic cleaning agent;
• removing at least a major portion of said cleaning agent after said materials and said cleaning agent have been in contact with each other;
• treating said composite materials with a strong oxidizing agent;
• heating said treated composite materials to at least 200.degree.C to remove substantially all of said oxidizing agent remaining after treatment of said materials;
• continuing to heat said materials at at least about 200.degree.C until said materials spontaneously ignite;
• allowing complete combustion of said materials;
• and
• collecting the solid combustion residues of said materials for subsequent reduction to the noble metals which formed the noble metal component of said composite materials.

A method of recovering and treating noble metal-containing, composite organic materials to produce therefrom elemental metals and other metal compounds, said method comprising:

• separating said composite organic materials from whole ores by flotation of said composite organic materials atop a mass of water;
• treating said composite materials with a water-immiscible, volatile organic solvent while said materials are atop said mass of water to clean associated inorganic materials from said organic composite material for density difference separation of said inorganic materials after removal thereof;
• removing said cleaned organic composite materials and said solvent, after solvent treatment of said composite materials, to remove a major portion of said solvent from said composite materials while allowing a substantial portion of any water associated with said composite materials to remain associated therewith;
• treating said composite materials with an aqueous solution of a strong oxidizing agent;
• heating said thus treated composite materials to a temperature of from about 200.degree.C to about 250.degree.C to remove therefrom substantially all of said oxidizing agent remaining after treatment of said materials;
• continuing to heat said materials at said 200.degree.C to 250.degree.C until said materials spontaneously ignite;
• allowing complete combustion of said materials;
• and
• collecting the solid combustion residues of said materials for subsequent reduction to the noble metals which formed the noble metal component of said composite materials.

A method of treating noble metal containing sea carbonaceous ore having therein noble metal containing composite organic materials and gangue fractions, including sand and shells to produce therefrom elemental noble metals, noble metal oxides and other noble metal compounds, said method comprising:

• stripping said noble metal containing composite organic materials having therein naturally occurring carbonaceous reducing agent components from said gangue fractions to form a carbonaceous concentrate;
• treating said noble metal containing composite organic materials with a strong oxidizing agent in amounts substantially stoichiometrically balanced with said carbonaceous reducing agent components of said composite organic materials;
• adding graphite to said so treated noble metal containing composite organic materials in an amount sufficient to conduct electricity and substantiallly agitating sufficient to form a mixture;
• forming electrodes from said graphite and composite organic materials mixture;
• igniting said electrodes autogeneously by electric arc, wherein the energy released by said autogenous ignition is sufficient to drive all said noble elemental metals, noble metal oxides and other noble metal compounds into the vapor phase to produce thereby a particulate plasma with solid noncombustible residues remaining in the form of an ash;
• and
• recovering from the vapor phase said noble elemental metals, noble metal oxides and other noble compounds.