Process for the recovery of gold from anode slimes

A process for the recovery of gold from a gold-bearing (Au-bearing) filtrate, the process comprising the steps of:

• (A) Contacting the aqueous Au-bearing filtrate with dibutyl carbitol (DBC) in a two-stage solvent extraction circuit to remove the gold from the aqueous Au-bearing filtrate into the DBC to form a gold-loaded DBC, the contacting performed in a manner such that the aqueous Au-bearing filtrate is contacted in a first stage of the solvent extraction circuit with DBC from a second stage of the solvent extraction circuit and fresh DBC is contacted in the second stage of the solvent extraction circuit with the aqueous Au-bearing filtrate from the first stage of the solvent extraction circuit;
• and
• (B) Contacting the gold-loaded DBC from the second stage of the solvent extraction circuit with an aqueous acid scrub of greater than zero (>0) to 5 N hydrochloric acid (HCl) in a four-stage acid scrub circuit to remove impurities from the gold-loaded DBC into the aqueous acid scrub to form an impurity-loaded aqueous scrub solution and an impurity-depleted DBC;
• the contacting conducted in a manner such that the gold-loaded DBC from a second stage of the solvent extraction circuit is contacted in a first stage of the aqueous acid scrub circuit with aqueous acid scrub from the third stage of the aqueous acid scrub circuit, and the gold-loaded DBC from a third stage of the aqueous acid scrub is contacted with fresh aqueous acid scrub in a fourth stage of the aqueous acid scrub circuit.