Oxidation of carbon-bearing compounds and gold recovery from difficult minerals

Black shale ores and their processing products resist recovery of noble metals. The test subject are old roasted products of gold-bearing sulfide concentrate with disseminated carbonic inclusions. The research objective is the technology of cyanide-free gold recovery from difficult minerals using the Albion Process. The chemistry and grain-size composition of goldbearing roasted products are analyzed. The size distributions of gold and silver particles are found: –2.0 mm—90.81% of gold and 87.83% of silver; –0.075 mm—12.97 g/t of gold and 63.17 g/t of silver, which corresponds to 41.96% of gold and 48.54% of silver, respectively, with regard to the content of these noble metals in the initial roasted products. This discovery conditions re-milling of particles +2.0 mm in size (Albion Process) and separate leaching of particles +0.16 mm and –0.16 mm in size. The technology is developed for cyanide-free treatment of roasted products with thiocarbamide as a leaching agent. The implemented experimental research produces optimal parameters for thiocarbamide leaching: leaching duration—7 h; thiocarbamide concentration—2.0%; sulfuric acid concentration—2.5%; S : L ratio = 1.0 : 2.0; concentration of oxidizer (hydrogen peroxide)—0.45%. The result of the new process design is the enhanced efficiency of leaching owing to the synergistic effect of intensifying factors of the Albion Process, hydrogen peroxide oxidation of carbon-bearing compounds and sulfide minerals and thiocarbamide recovery of gold at 89.66%.

Shumilova L. V., Khatkova A. N., Razmakhnin K. K. Oxidation of carbon-bearing compounds and gold recovery from difficult minerals. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2023; (11):143-158. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2023_11_0_143.

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, Project No. 22-17-00040 Development and Scientific Justification of Eco-Friendly Waste-Free Technologies for Processing Natural and Manmade Mineral Raw Materials, 2022–2023.

L.V. Shumilova¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant Professor, Professor, е-mail: shumilovalv@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5991-9204,
A.N. Khatkova¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Professor, Professor, e-mail: alisa1965.65@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6527-0026,
K.K. Razmakhnin¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor, e-mail: igdranchita@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-2944-7642,
¹ Transbaikal State University, Chita, 672039, Russia.

L.V. Shumilova, e-mail: shumilovalv@mail.ru.

1. Krupskaya L. T., Melkonyan R. G., Zvereva V. P., Rastanina N. K., Golubev D. A., Filatova M. Yu. Ecological hazard of accumulated mining waste and recommendations on risk reduction in the Far Eastern Federal District. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2018, no. 12, pp. 102—112. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2018_12_0_102_112.

2. Shumilova L. V., Khatkova A. N., Razmakhnin K. K., Cherkasov V. G. Strategy of rational and integrated use of mineral raw materials based on the best available technologies and assessment of the life cycle of mining waste. Transbaikal state university journal. 2021, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 32—44. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.21209/2227-9245-2021-27-4-32-44.

3. Iliash N., Dunka E., Offenberg Yu., Teshelyanu D. Elements of geoecological audit and accounting of environmental objects. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2021, no. 3-1, pp. 359—371. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_14 93_2021_31_0_359.

4. Meretukov M. A. Zoloto i prirodnoe uglerodistoe veshchestvo [Gold and natural carbonaceous matter], Moscow, Izdatel'skiy dom «Ruda i Metally», 2007, 109 p.

5. Van de Velde K., Barbante C., Cozzi G., Moret I., Bellomi T., Ferrari C. P., Boutron C. F. Changes in the occurrence of silver, gold, platinum, palladium and rhodium in mont blanc ice and snow since the 18th century. Atmospheric Environment. 2000, vol. 34, no. 19, pp. 3117—3127.

6. Rosenfeld C. E., Chaney R. L., Martinez C. E. Soil geochemical factors regulate Cd accumulation by metal hyperaccumulating Noccaea caerulescens (J. Presl & C. Presl) FK Mey in field-contaminated soils. Science of the Total Environment. 2018, vol. 616—617, pp. 279—287. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.016.

7. Velasquez-Yevenes L., Torres D., Toro N. Leaching of chalcopyrite ore agglomerated with high chloride concentration and high curing periods. Hydrometallurgy. 2018, vol. 181, pp. 215—220. DOI: 10.1016/j.hydromet.2018.10.004.

8. Sekisov A. G, Lavrov A. Yu., Rasskazova A. V. Fotokhimicheskie i elektrokhimicheskie protsessy v geotekhnologii [Photochemical and electrochemical processes in geotechnology], Chita, ZabGU, 2019, 306 p.

9. Kuchnoe vyshchelachivanie blagorodnykh metallov. Pod red. M.I. Fazlullina [Heap leaching of precious metals, Fazlullin M. I.(Ed.)], Moscow, Akademiya gornykh nauk, 2001, 646 p.

10. Fedotov P. K., Senchenko A. E., Fedotov K. V., Burdonov A. E. Studies of enrichment of sulfide and oxidized ores of gold deposits of the Aldan shield. Journal of Mining Institute. 2020, vol. 242, pp. 218—227. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.31897/pmi.2020.2.218.

11. Shumilova L. V. Gravitational-electrochemical method of gold extraction from technogenic placers. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2015, no. S19, pp. 186—192.

12. Baninla Y., Zhang M., Lu Y., Liang R., Zhang Q., Zhou Yu., Khan K. A transitional perspective of global and regional mineral material flows. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2019, vol. 140, pp. 91—101. DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.09.014.

13. Chanturia V. A., Samusev A. L., Minenko V. G. Intensification of chemical-electrochemical leaching of gold from stubborn mineral raw materials. Fiziko-tekhnicheskie problemy razrabotki poleznykh iskopaemykh. 2020, no. 5, pp. 154—164. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.15372/FTPRPI20200518.

14. Abramov B. N. Toxicity assessment of mine tailings ponds in Transbaikalia. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2021, no. 11, pp. 136—145. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2021_ 11_0_136.

15. Galachieva S. V., Sokolov A. A., Sokolova O. A., Makhosheva S. A. System of assessment of sustainable development of regional national economic complexes of mountain territories. Sustainable Development of Mountain Territories. 2018, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 329—335. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.21177/1998-4502-2018-10-3-329-335.

16. Kornilkov S. V., Antoninova N. Yu., Shubina L. A., Sobenin A. V. On the issue of ecological rehabilitation of the natural ecosystem disturbed during the development of the Kolyvan deposit. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2020, no. 3-1, pp. 465—474. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/ 0236-1493-2020-31-0-465-474.

17. Zehra Yigit Avdan, Gordana Kaplan, Serdar Goncu, Ugur Avdan Monitoring the water quality of small water bodies using high-resolution remote sensing data. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information. 2019, vol. 8, no. 12, article 553. DOI: 10.3390/ijgi8120553.

18. Topp S. N., Pavelsky T. M., Jensen D., Simard M., Ross M. R. V. Research trends in the use of remote snsing for inland water quality science: moving towards multidisciplinary applications. Water. 2020, vol. 12, no. 1, article 169. DOI: 10.3390/w12010169.

19. Dementiev V. E., Voiloshnikov G. I., Fedorov Yu. O. Development of the OA «IRGIREDMET» for the extraction of valuable components from technogenic raw materials. News of the Tula state university. Sciences of Earth. 2020, no. 4, pp. 418—427. [In Russ].

20. Shumilova L. V. Nauchnoe obosnovanie innovatsionnoy tekhnologii izvlecheniya zolota (razrabotka, aprobatsiya v usloviyakh Zabaykal'ya) [Scientific substantiation of the innovative technology of gold leaching (working, testing in conditions of Transbaikalie)], Izd-vo Palmarium Academic Publishing, Germaniya, 2014, 362 p.

21. Tauzhnyanskaya Z. A. Tekhnologiya pererabotki uglistykh i bednykh zolotosoderzhashchikh rud za rubezhom [Technology of processing of carbonaceous and poor gold-bearing ores abroad], Moscow, Tsvetmetinformatsiya, 1972, 30 p.

22. available at: https://www.studmed.ru/view/bragina-vi-tehnologiya-obogascheniya-ipererabotki-nemetallicheskih-poleznyh iskopaemyh_16c54514116.html?page = 8;metallurgist. pro›obogaschenie-grafita/ http://www.mpoltd.ru/poleznoe/391-sposoby-obogashcheniya-grafita. html).