Investigation into the Use of Electrochemical Extraction to Draw Gold from Refractory Ores

Abstract

This paper studies the possibility of extracting gold by electrochemical leaching through the use of a sodium thiosulfate solution. In this regard, the requirements for environmentally sound technologies play a huge and vital role. Low extraction ratios and metal losses increase the cost of this process significantly and therefore it is necessary to reduce or prevent these disadvantages. Dissolution of gold at various electrolyte concentrations has been studied. The influence of current density on the leaching of gold within the solution has been investigated. The influence of the ratio S:L on gold extraction during electroleaching has been studied and the specific rate of gold leaching with different variations of the parameters has been defined. The sorption behavior of gold thiosulfate complexes on the anion exchanger AM-2B at various concentrations of sodium thiosulfate taken from model solutions has been studied. Research into the comparative study relating to the sorption of gold compounds from complex productive solutions used in electrochemical leaching has been conducted.