【企画講演】 金属資源の生産技術に係る基礎研究・成果報告会

[2208-17-02] Development of a novel and highly efficient recovery process for gold from gold-bearing refractory ores in an eco-friendly system, ammonium thiosulfate

○Sanghee Jeon¹, Sohta Hamatsu¹, Ilhwan Park¹, Mayumi Ito¹, Naoki Hiroyoshi¹ (1. Hokkaido University)

司会： 橋本晃一（独立行政法人石油天然ガス・金属鉱物資源機構）

キーワード：Ammonium thiosulfate , Gold, Refractory ore, Galvanic interaction

Cyanide- and halide-based extraction methods are the most common ways of leaching gold (Au) from Au-bearing materials, but due to the toxicity and/or highly corrosive nature of lixiviants employed in these techniques, alternative strategies are being explored. Thiosulfate is a promising lixiviant with a non-toxic, more selective, and less corrosive alternative, but its application on an industrial scale is still limited since efficient methods for Au(I) ion recovery from thiosulfate media remain elusive. This study describes a simple and highly efficient technique for Au(I) ion recovery from thiosulfate medium based on galvanic interactions between aluminum (Al) and activated carbon (AC) under various industrially relevant parameters treating gold-bearing refractory ores as follows: (a) investigation on the effects of co-existing metal ions in ores on the gold recovery technique, (b) optimization of gold recovery conditions, (c) leaching of gold from gold-bearing refractory ores and its recovery from the leachate by the recovery technique, and (d) establishment of an overall gold-hydrometallurgy process.