Use of ferricyanide for gold and silver cyanidation

Low gold and silver leaching kinetics has been commonly observed in traditional gold-silver cyanidation process, especially in heap leaching and in situ leaching operations. The different mineralogy of gold and silver in the ores is suspected to be the main reason, e.g., the occurrence of low solubility acanthite (Ag2S) typically results in low overall silver extraction. Due to the low solubility of oxygen in cyanide solution, the reactivity and availability of oxidant is believed to be the critical limitation for gold and silver dissolution. The use of ferricyanide as the auxiliary oxidant for gold and silver cyanidation has been examined. The rotating disc test results prove the assistant effect of ferricyanide on increasing the dissolution rate of gold and silver. The potential use of ferricyanide in gold/silver cyanidation process is proposed based on the leaching results of actual ores.     

Characterization of refractory behaviour of complex gold/silver ore by diagnostic leaching

The amenability of a refractory ore to the extraction of gold and silver by cyanide leaching was investigated. Diagnostic leaching tests were also performed to shed light on the refractory characteristics of ore. The leaching tests show that the extraction of gold and silver is consistently low, i.e. ≤47% and ≤19.2%, respectively, over a leaching period of 24 h. Even fine grinding (e.g. ＜38 μm) does not improve the recovery of gold and silver. Diagnostic leaching approach provides information into the cause of the refractoriness of the ore. The findings suggest that the refractoriness is induced by the dissemination and encapsulation of the very fine gold and silver particles largely in the carbonates, oxides and sulfides and, to a small extent, with silicates present in the ore matrix. These findings highlight the practical importance of diagnostic leaching for the understanding of the refractory characteristic of such an ore and for the identification of possible pretreatment options to overcome its refractoriness prior to cyanide leaching.     

Co-intensification of gold leaching with heavy metals and hydrogen peroxide

Co-intensification was researched to accelerate gold leaching with regards to its electrochemical nature by using anodic intensifiers of heavy metal ions (Pb2+, Bi3+, Tl+, Hg2+ and Ag+) on the basis of hydrogen peroxide assistant leaching on three different types of materials which were classified as a refractory sulphide gold concentrate, an easily leachable sulphide gold concentrate, and a low grade oxide gold ore according to their leaching characteristics. The results showed that, favorable co-intensification effects on the three materials were obtained and leaching time of gold was effectively shortened to no longer than 12 h from 16 to 24 h for hydrogen peroxide assistant leaching. For the five tested heavy metal ions, Bi3+and Tl+ presented co-intensifying effect on all the three materials, and Hg2+ caused co-intensifying effect on both refractory and easily leachable sulphide gold concentrates, and Pb2+ and Ag+ only had co-intensifying effect on the easily leachable sulphide gold concentrate.     

Investigation of the tarnish on the surface of a panda gold coin

In natural environment, tarnish was observed on the surface of historic and contemporary gold coins in several countries. Few years after the emergence of panda gold coins, several red spots were appeared on the surface. To identify the stains and to examine the spots, optical microscope （OM）, scanning electron microscope （SEM）, electron microprobe analysis （EMPA）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, and X-ray diffraction （XRD） were used. It was found by microscopic observation that the stain has a dark blue central area surrounded by a large area with a nuance of colors from brown to red. Red spots usually contain holes in the center, which are distributed along the forging stress zones formed in the struck process. From the surface analyses using EMPA, sulfur and silver are detected besides gold, and the contents of Ag and S at the tarnish part are higher than those at the other part. Furthermore, distributions of Ag and S are correlated with the morphology of stains. XPS shows that components of stains are Ag2S and Ag2SO4 and the former is much predominant. These results are confirmed using XRD analysis. Accelerated tarnish test of gold in an atmosphere containing sulfur compound proves that the similar phenomenon appears when a small amount of silver is present on the surface of gold. It can be concluded that the occurrence of tarnish stains is caused by the presence of Ag and S.     

不同温度下HNO3改性对活性炭吸附银的影响

使用浓HNO3分别在常温和沸腾状态下对活性炭进行改性，用FTIR和N2吸附法对活性炭进行表面分析，使用AAS，SEM和XRD研究银在活性炭表面的吸附和分布特征。研究结果表明：活性炭经常温浓HNO3改性后，比表面积和孔容都明显提高，而经沸腾浓HNO3改性后，比表面积和孔容却明显减小，但2种改性方式都使活性炭表面产生更多的含氧基团，为[Ag（NH3）2]^＋的吸附还原提供更多的活性点，从而使活性炭表面银颗粒更加密集；常温浓HNO3改性极大地促进了[Ag（NH3）2]^＋的吸附还原，当银离子初始质量浓度为600mg／L时，活性炭对银的吸附量是原炭的5倍多；而活性炭沸腾浓HNO3改性使银的吸附量略有下降，但银颗粒却更加细小而密集，有利于活性炭表面纳米银颗粒的形成。