Geoecological aspects and environmental technologies in gold cyanidation at gold recovery plants

The key risks in gold recovery are connected with pollution of the hydrosphere with toxic cyanides and heavy metals, and with contamination of the atmosphere with dust and gas emission, which creates the integrated man-made burden and long-term threats. The aim of this study is the embracive analysis of sources and scale of the environmental impact of gold recovery plants, and the justification and evaluation of efficiency of environmental technologies targeted at minimization of adverse consequences in all phases of life cycle of a plant. The study used the methods of calculation of specific emission generated by process equipment, mathematical modeling of dusting intensity, comparative chemical analysis of composition of liquid waste before and after detoxification, as well as the geoecological substantiation of process designs. The major contamination sources are identified: re-loading points (98.5 % of total dust emission), and processes of cyanidation and thermal treatment. The high efficiency of chemical oxidation by calcium hypochlorite in detoxification of liquid waste is proved: free cyanide concentration is decreased from 89.0 to 0.006 mg/l (purification rate >99.99 %). The process solutions are validated, including: recycling water supply, flue gas washers and bag hoses for gas cleaning, and creation of liquid tailings storages with impervious screens. Sustainable functioning of gold recovery plants is only possible using an integrated approach within the concept of closed cycle and barrier protection. The mandatory components are: the foreground introduction of dust and gas cleaning systems, fine detoxification of waste water, design of tailings ponds with fail-safe insulation, and organization of multi-level geoecological monitoring for the whole life cycle of a gold recovery plant, including the post-operating period. 

Klyuev R. V. Geoecological aspects and environmental technologies in gold cyanidation at gold recovery plants. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2026;(3):5-17. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2026_3_0_5.

R.V. Klyuev, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant Professor, Professor, Moscow Polytechnic University, 107023, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: kluev-roman@rambler.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3777-7203.

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