Lecture 9

• Gold recovery from solution by granular, activated carbon consists of

the following distinct operations
• 1- loading the carbon
• 2- Elution or stripping of the carbon
• 2a Carbon regeneration
• 3- Gold production by electro winning from the eluate solution
• Slurry from the milling circuit is thickened in a thickener to
get a slurry stream containing between 45- 50 % solids as
feed to the leach circuit.
• The slurry has to be thickened for two reasons; first to
reduce reagent consumption. Dilute slurry require more
reagents to achieve the desired reagent concentrations than
slurries of relatively lower liquid to solid ratio.
• Secondly, dilute slurries allow settling of carbon in the
adsorption circuit thereby affecting the adsorption kinetics
of the gold on activated carbon.
• Woods chips are screened off by a vibrating trash screen
before the slurry drops into the first agitated leach tank.
• Cyanide solution is added into the slurry stream that is
pumped to the first leach tank as it enters the leach tank
after the trash screen.
• The slurry is introduced into the tank down comer so that it
gets to the bottom of the tank from where due to the mixer
it is continuously mixed within the tank.
• This action increases the contact of the slurry stream with
the reagents and as well allows the slurry to have more
contact time within the tank.
• The first contact tank exit is at the top from where the
slurry drops into the second tank by gravitational flow. The
slurry flows in a cascade fashion from one tank to the other.
• This process carries on up to the last leach tank.
 Carbon-in-pulp countercurrent
adsorption system
Pregnant slurry

Loaded carbon 1
Slurry flow

2 Carbon flow

3
Fresh carbon in
4

Barren slurry
5
Adsorption
• The pregnant slurry is discharged into the down comer of the first
mechanically agitated carbon contact tank.
• Adsorption of dissolved gold occurs up until equilibrium loading
during the process.
• The slurry poorer in dissolved gold enters the second adsorption stage
via an inter-stage carbon screen.
• Usually, the inter-stage screen apertures are smaller than the carbon
granules in size so that the carbon is retained within the tank.
• Only slurry is able to pass through the apertures of the
screen to the next contact stage.
• The contact stages are also in cascade to allow slurry from
one stage to flow with ease from one stage to the next.
• This carries on up to the last carbon contact stage.
• This tank is also fitted with a carbon catch screen to
prevent carbon escaping with the barren slurry stream.
• It is extremely important to periodically inspect carbon
inter-stage screens of any defects in order to avoid carbon
migration from one stage to another.
• The operator must as well check to ensure that carbon
concentration in all the contact stages is well balanced.
• This allows carbon in each stage to achieve its maximum
equilibrium loading of gold and other metals.
Carbon balancing and counter current flow
• On a daily basis depending on the circuit design and
process parameters, carbon has to be removed from the
system for elution (desorption) and electro winning.
• Daily removal is recommended for obvious reasons
related to continuous production of gold and as well to
allow the carbon to go for reactivation/regeneration as
discussed in previous lectures.
• A specific amount of loaded carbon is dropped from the first tank for
elution.
• After the process of dropping is complete, tank one is balanced with an
equal amount of carbon transferred from tank two up until the amount
of carbon dropped is reached.
• After that the same amount of carbon is then transferred from tank
three into tank two.
• This process takes place up until carbon is transferred from the last
tank to the penultimate tank.
• An equal amount of fresh regenerated barren carbon is finally added
into the last tank. The system is therefore balanced in terms of carbon
concentration per stage.
• The movement of carbon is therefore countercurrent to the flow of
slurry in this respect.
Carbon stripping
• Next lecture : Elution of loaded carbon
Conditioning of carbon prior to elution
• Acid washing
• The process is used to remove the scale by converting CaCO₃ to CaCl₂ (
when using HCL) , which is soluble in water.
• The reaction is rapid and does not require heat
• However, this process also removes the base metals such as Ni, Fe and
Zn but since the cyanide complexes are either being destroyed to form
chloride salts (Ni, Zn) or rearranged Fe, heat is required to effectively
remove the base metals.
• Acid washing is generally undertaken prior to elution however, it may
be done after regeneration.
• It is not a good idea to acid wash prior to regeneration as the entrained
acid that vapourises during regeneration could damage the kiln.
• The hot acid washing of carbon with dilute hydrochloric acid prior to
gold elution using the AARL procedure is most preferable if overall
efficiency in a particular plant is to be maintained.
• In most cases one bed volume of 3% volume (31-33%) HCL has been
found to effectively remove calcium and zinc from carbon.
• Hot acid approximately 90 degrees Celsius will remove calcium, zinc
and nickel together with a large proportion of contained iron and silica.
• Gold , silver and copper are not eluted from carbon using either hot or
cold acid.
• Note the acid treatment of loaded carbon results in the
considerable evolution of hydrocyanic acid (prussic acid)
which is extremely toxic and due precautions must be taken.
Purpose of hot acid wash prior to elution
• (a) Under acid conditions, the elution system can be brought
to operational temperatures using preheated water while not
eluting any gold or silver values from the carbon.
• This preheating of the elution circuit to the operating
temperature ensures the subsequent rapid and efficient
elution of gold in a well-defined elution profile.
• (b) In the case of severe calcium passivation acid washing
has a very beneficial effect on subsequent gold elution.
• (c) When excessive carbon loadings of Ni, Fe, Zn and SiO₂
are encountered as in some effluent circuits operating at
reduced pH levels, the acid washing of the carbon will
reduce the reagent requirements needed to effect efficient
elution.
• The possible selective removal of these elements may also
benefit both the adsorption and eluate treatment circuits.
• (d) In adsorption circuits where organic fouling such as float reagents
and excessive hot acid washing may remove a large proportion of
such contaminants which may be discarded rather than returned to the
adsorption circuit. These organic contaminants may also give
problems in the eluate treatment circuit.
• (e) Possibly the most significant effect of acid washing prior to gold
elution relates to the quality of water used for gold elution.
• In the case of eluting gold from non-acid washed carbon , it has been
adequately demonstrated that elution efficiency is most sensitive to
water quality.
• Rather surprisingly ,however, the hot acid washing of carbon
produces a carbon which is not as sensitive to water quality , thus
allowing the efficient elution of gold using good quality waters.
• An explanation to this effect may relate to the character of
the adsorbed gold species following hot acid washing as per
the following mechanism:
CaAu(CN)₂ (hot acid) AuCN (pretreatment)
(strongly adsorbed) (very strongly adsorbed)
NaAu(CN)₂
(moderately adsorbed)
• As the ion pair Ca[Au(CN)₂]₂ is more strongly adsorbed
onto carbon than the NaAu(CN)₂ species, it may be
expected to be more sensitive to such small changes in the
ionic strength ( water quality) of the water eluant.
• (f) Little or no elution of calcium is effected on eluting a
non acid washed carbon.
Types of elution systems
• 1) Atmospheric Zadra stripping
• 2) Pressurised Zadra stripping
• 3) Anglo American Research Laboratory (AARL) Method
• 4) Alcohol stripping
• 5) Micron desorption procedure