Processes to recover and reconcentrate gold from its ores
AssigneeGeobiotics, Inc.
InventorsDennis G. Kleid, William J. Kohr, Francis R. Thibodeau
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Abstract
A variety of processes for recovering gold from gold ore are disclosed. Briefly, the methods include culturing at least one microorganism species capable of producing cyanide ion under conditions wherein the microorganism produces cyanide ion, thus forming a cyanide ion-containing culture; contacting the cyanide ion-containing culture with gold ore, causing production of gold ion-cyanide ion complexes and biosorption of said complexes to said cultures; and recovering gold from the culture. The invention may be practiced with a variety of microorganisms, including Chromobacterium violaceum and Chlorella vuloaris.
Claims16
A process for recovering gold from gold ore bodies comprising the steps of:
- a. culturing at least one fungal species capable of producign cyanide ion under conditions wherein said fungal species produces cyanide ion, thus forming a cyanide ion containing culture;
- b. containing said cyanide ion containing culture with gold ore, thereby causing production of gold ion-cyanide ion complexes and dissolution of gold from the gold ore;
- c. remvoing, by biosorption, gold ion-cyanide ion complexes from solution to said culture thereby driving the gold dissolution reaction forward;
- d. reclaiming biosorped gold from said culture by further refining.
A process for recovering gold from gold ore bodies comprising the steps of:
- a. culturing at least one fungal species capable of producing cyanide ion under condition wherein said fungal species does not produce cyanide ion, thus forming a culture;
- b. contacting said culture with gold ore, under conditions wherein said culture produces cyanide ion, thereby causing production of gold ion-cyanide ion complexes and dissolution of gold from the gold ore;
- c. removing, by biosorption, gold ion-cyanide ion complexes from solution to said culture thereby driving the gold dissolution reaction forward;
- d. reclaiming biosorped gold from said culture by further refining.
A process for recovering gold from gold ore bodies comprising the steps of:
- a. culturing at least one fungal species capable of producing cyanide ion in a shallow pond or vessel under conditions wherein said species produces cyanide ion, and wherein said species is at an approximate concentration of 10 mg/l to 10 g/l, thus forming a cyanide ion containing and producing culture;
- b. pumping said culture into or upon a fractured milled or crushed ore body, said ore body containing gold in an amount of at least 0.02 oz/ton;
- c. contacting said cyanide ion containing and producing culture with gold ore, thereby causing production of gold ion-cyanide ion complexes and dissolution of gold from the gold ore;
- d. removing, by biosorption, gold ion-cyanide ion complexes from solution to said culture thereby driving the gold dissolution reaction forward;
- e. removing said culture from said ore body;
- f. separating gold containing fungi from said culture to form a sludge layer comprising said fungi and an aqueous solution;
- g. recycling said aqueous solution to said pond of step (a);
- h. reclaiming gold from said sludge layer by further refining.
A process for extracting gold from gold ore bodies comprisign the steps of:
- a. culturing at least one algae species capable of producing cyanide ion under conditions wherein said algae species produces cyanide ion, thus forming a cyanide ion containing culture;
- b. contacting said cyanide containing culture with gold ore, thererby causing production of gold ion-cyanide ion complexes and dissolution of gold from the gold ore.
A process for extracting gold from gold ore bodies comprising the steps of:
- a. culturing at least one algae species capable of producing cyanide ion under conditions wherein said algae does not produce cyanide ion, thus forming a culture;
- b. contacting said culture with gold ore, under conditions wherein said culture produces cyanide ion, thereby causing production of gold ion-cyanide ion complexes and dissolution of gold from the gold ore.
A process for extracting gold from gold ore bodies comprising the steps of:
- a. culturing at least one fungal species capable of producing cyanide ion under conditions wherein said fungal species produces cyanide ion, thus forming a cyanide ion containign culture;
- b. contacting siad cyanide containing culture with gold ore, thereby causing produciton of gold ion-cyanide ion complexes and dissolution of gold from the gold ore.
A proess for extracting gold from gold ore bodies comprising the steps of:
- a. culturing at least one fungal species capable of producing cyanide ion under conditions wherein said fungal does not produce cyanide ion, thus forming a culture;
- b. contacting said culture with gold ore, under conditions wherein said culture produces cyanide ion, thereby causing production of gold ion-cyanide ion complexes and dissolution of gold from the gold ore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.