EXTRACTIVE METALLURGY OF GOLD 3.

Processing of gold ores

Fathi Habashi
Laval University, Quebec City, Canada Fathi.Habashi@arul.ulaval.ca

TREATMENT OF GOLD ORES

Alluvial deposits may be concentrated further by gravity methods and the concentrates are usually melted and refined. In past centuries amalgamation was universally used, but due to the toxicity of mercury the process has been abandoned. When gravity methods are not suitable for obtaining a concentrate then the ore is leached usually by cyanide solution. Chlorination methods were formerly used but abandoned in favour of cyanidation.

Veins associated with quartz and various sulfides known as reefs must be crushed and finely ground to liberate the minerals prior to leaching. Leaching can be conducted in heaps or in agitated tanks.

Heap leaching

In heap leaching the ore is crushed, and transported on impervious pads where the cyanide solution is sprinkled on top of the heap and percolates through the ore dissolving the gold. The gold-bearing solution is collected at the base of the leach pad then is pumped to the recovery plant where suspended solids are removed. The process is cheap but slow.

Heap leaching

Leaching in agitated tanks

When agitated tanks are used the slurry flows from one tank to the other continuously. In the last tank the reaction should be complete.

In the recovery plant gold is precipitated by zinc or enriched on activated charcoal then the strip solution is electrolyzed. A variety of methods are combined depending on the ore treated. Bleed solutions must be treated before disposal to avoid contaminating the environment.

Refractory gold ores

Sometimes economic grinding is not enough to liberate the gold. In such cases, the ore is known as a refractory ore because it does not respond to cyanidation, and therefore it must be chemically treated to liberate the gold prior to leaching. Two methods are used: - thermal oxidation [roasting] - aqueous oxidation [leaching].

Certain refractory ores contain organic matter which causes problems during the recovery step. In this case thermal oxidation must be used since aqueous oxidation is not enough to destroy the organic matter. Thermal oxidation has the problem of dealing with sulfur dioxide emission.

Thermal oxidation

Gold occurs in many deposits encapsulated in pyrite, FeS2, or arsenopyrite FeAsS, crystals. Pyrite and arsenopyrite are different from other sulfide minerals since they contain the disulfide ion, S22.

Pyrite

In pyrite, the iron atoms are in a face-centered cubic arrangement with pairs of the sulfur atoms located on the cube diagonals.

Arsenopyrite,

In arsenopyrite, the iron atoms are also in a facecentered cubic arrangement like in pyrite but half of the diagonal positions are occupied by pairs of the sulfur atoms and the other half by pairs of arsenic atoms.

Marcasite is another crystalline form of pyrite in which the iron atoms occupy a body-centered cubic lattice with pairs of sulfur atoms on the diagonals.

The presence of disulfide ions is manifested on heating the minerals in absence of air: pyrite loses an atom of sulfur, while arsenopyrite loses an atom of arsenic: FeS2 FeS + S FeAsS FeS + As

Thermal oxidation of pyrite and arsenopyrite containing gold is usually conducted in a fluidized bed reactor. This usually creates either environmental or economical problems to convert SO2 to sulfuric acid: FeS2 + 7/2O2 Fe2O3 + 2SO2 If oxidation of arsenopyrite is conducted in a limited supply of air the arsenious oxide, As2O3, is formed which sublimes already at 218C and can be separated from the gas stream in the filtration units: As2S3 + 9/2O2 As2O3 + 3SO2

In the presence of excess air, however, arsenic oxide, As2O5, is formed, which is nonvolatile and melts at 315C: As2S3 + 11/2O2 As2O5 + 3SO2 This oxide combines with any ferric oxide in the ore to form ferric arsenate, FeAsO4: Fe2O3 + As2O5 2FeAsO4

Oxidation of sulfides is an exothermic process. In some cases, however, the heat generated is not enough to sustain the reaction and extra heat has to be supplied by burning a fuel.

Fluidized-bed furnace

A fluidized-bed furnace consists of a large vertical brick-lined steel cylindrical vessel into which the air or oxygen-enriched air is blown beneath a perforated steel grate at the base. The powdered solids are admitted at one side by a screw conveyor, and the reaction product continuously overflow from another opening.

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Characteristics

There is a minimum velocity of the gas which effects fluidization; below this value no fluidization takes place. As the gas velocity increases the pressure drop increases gradually until a constant value is reached when fluidization starts. This is the minimum velocity to achieve fluidization. If the velocity of gas increases greatly, the solids will be blown out of furnace. A fluidized bed behaves in a manner similar to a boiling liquid. Because of the intense gassolid contact, oxidation is extremely rapid. This permits close control of reaction temperature thus preventing any local overheating or fusion of the solids. Gases leaving the bed at the top usually carry an appreciable amount of dust. This is separated in cyclones and collected as product. Dust losses can be minimized by pelletizing the feed material. In some cases, all the solid product is allowed to entrain the gases to the cyclone where it is separated. The reaction has first to be started by an auxiliary flame, which is then extinguished when the reaction proceeds. The temperature is usually controlled by inserting a cooling coil in the furnace, injecting water directly, or recycling a part of the cooled product.

Aqueous oxidation: bioleaching

Certain microorganisms known as Thiobacillus thiooxidans and Thiobacillus ferrooxidans isolated from mine water and others isolated from sulfur-bearing hot springs are capable of accelerating the rate of oxidation of sulfide minerals.

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These bacteria, known as autotrophic bacteria can also accelerate the oxidation of elemental sulfur and ferrous ion. They are minute, unicellular microscopic organisms 0.52 mm in size that reproduce by binary fission. Since they utilize oxygen for growth, they are classified as aerobic bacteria.

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In industrial leaching operation where the continuous flow of leach solution provides nutrient and a balanced environment, the microorganisms multiply following the logarithmic law:

n = n0ekt

where n0 is their initial number, n their number at time t, and k is a constant. A leach solution in a heap leaching operation may contain as many as 10 million microorganisms per mL.

Autotrophic bacteria

They must have oxygen to carry out their function, i.e., the oxidation of mineral substances with release of energy which is necessary for their growth. They utilize CO2 as the principal source of carbon required for the synthesis of organic compounds composing the cell.

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They absorb certain nutrient from solution, e.g., PO43 ions that are necessary for their metabolic function. They have resistance to high concentrations of metal ions in solution which are usually toxic to most other forms of life. They adapt to live and grow in strongly acidic environments (pH 1.53). They are destroyed by light, particularly ultraviolet light.

Their maximum activity for Thiobacillus ferrooxidans occurs at 35C while for those isolated from sulfurbearing hot springs (the thermophilic bacteria), the temperature may be as high as 85C. Below these temperatures they are dormant while above, they are destroyed. They catalyze the oxidation process:
MS(s) M2+(aq) + S2(aq) S2 + 2O2 SO42 FeS2 + 7/2O2 + H2O Fe2+ + 2SO42 + 2H+

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The adherence of the microorganisms on the sulfide surface makes possible the rapid oxidation of S2 ions liberated by the mineral.

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Leaching is usually conducted in agitated tanks. excessive amounts of sulfuric acid and ferrous sulfate that must be neutralized before disposal.

Aqueous oxidation: pressure leaching

Leaching of pyrite under pressure to liberate gold is conducted on large scale in many plants. A pressure leaching plant consists of ore feed tank, pre-heater, high pressure piston pump, autoclave, and flash tank. The reaction is fast - - few hours instead of few days as in bioleaching.

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Barricks pressure leaching plant for refractory gold ore at Elko, Nevada

Barricks pressure leaching plant

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Start up 1985 1986 1988

Plant Location McLaughlin USA San Bento Brazil Mercur, Utah USA Getchell USA Goldstrike Nevada, USA Goldstrike Nevada, USA Porgera, Papua New Guinea Campbell Canada Con Lihir Goldstrike USA Porgera, Papua New Guinea Lihir, Papua New Guinea

Owner Homestake USA Genmin S. Africa American Barrick Canada First Miss Gold American Barrick Canada American Barrick Canada Placer Dome Canada Placer Dome Canada Nerco Minerals American Barrick Canada Placer Dome Canada Rio Tinto

Feed ore concentrate ore

Medium acid acid alkaline

Capacity t/d 2700 240 680

Number of autoclaves 3 2 1

1989 1990

ore ore

acid acid

2730 1360

3 1

1991

ore

acid

5450

1991

concentrate

acid

1350

1991

concentrate

acid

70

1992 1993

concentrate ore

--acid

90 11580

1 6

1994

concentrate

acid

2700

1997

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