Method for recovering gold and other precious metals from carbonaceous ores
AssigneeGeobiotics, Inc.
InventorWilliam J. Kohr
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for recovering precious metals from carbonaceous ore comprising leaching the ore with a lixiviant solution and then preg-robbingly concentrating the precious metal-lixiviant complexes in solution on to the native carbonaceous component of the ore for subsequent recovery. The preg-robbing capacity of the native carbonaceous component of the ore can be augmented by adding recycled carbonaceous matter or finely ground carbon to the ore-lixiviant mixture. Furthermore, after the carbonaceous component of the ore is separated from the gangue, the gangue material can be treated in a hot CIL process to further increase the recovery of the precious metal.
Claims41
A process for recovering precious metal from carbonaceous ores comprising:
- a. leaching carbonaceous ore with a lixiviant solution to thereby cause the production of precious metal-lixiviant complexes;
- b. concentrating at least a portion of the precious metal-lixiviant complexes from the lixiviant solution to the native carbonaceous component of the ore;
- c. separating the precious metal containing carbonaceous component from the ore to thereby form (1) a concentrate of the precious metal containing carbonaceous component and (2) a tail;
- d. recovering precious metal from the precious metal containing carbonaceous component concentrate;
- e. further treating the tail in a hot carbon in leach process;
- f. separating the activated carbon used in the hot carbon in leach process from the tail;
- and
- g. recovering precious metal from the activated carbon.
A process for recovering gold from carbonaceous ores comprising:
- a. leaching the carbonaceous ore with a cyanide solution to thereby cause the production of gold-cyanide complexes;
- b. sorbing the gold-cyanide complexes from the cyanide solution to the native carbonaceous component of the ore;
- c. separating the gold containing carbonaceous component from the ore by floatation to thereby form (1) a concentrate of the precious metal containing carbonaceous component and (2) a tail;
- d. recovering gold from the concentrate;
- e. further treating the tail in a hot carbon in leach process, wherein the temperature of the leach solution of the carbon in leach process is between 30.degree. C. and 83.degree. C.;
- f. separating the activated carbon used in the carbon in leach process from the ore;
- and
- g. recovering gold from the activated carbon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.