Vestnik Otdelenia nauk o Zemle RAN, VOL. 5, NZ1001, doi:10.2205/2013NZ000115, 2013

A comprehensive approach to the recovery of gold from the technogenic objects of gold mining industry of the Russian Federation Far East

S. I. Ivannikov, D. G. Epov, G. F. Krysenko, M. A. Medkov, S. Y. Bratskaya, A. A. Yudakov

Institute of Chemistry, FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia

Abstract

The significant concentrations of gold reaching 130 g/t in the technogenic wastes of gold mining industry of the Russian Federation Far East have been detected. The modified method of neutron-activation analysis, whitch allows taking into account the matrix composition of the samples during the determination the gold concentration in complex natural and technogenic objects has been developed. A method of sample hydrofluoridation has been suggested to ensure increased sensitivity of neutron-activation analysis due to the removal from sample matrix easily activated elements. For the technogenic objects with aluminosilicate matrix effectiveness of ammonia-thiosulfate leaching of gold has been evaluated; solution compositions and conditions of leaching have been optimized; and correlation between the sample's matrix composition and efficiency of gold leaching has been shown. Concentrations of thiourea and oxidizers for thiocarbamide gold leaching from technogenic objects have been optimized; the efficiency of the method reaching 76% for the samples of various compositions has been demonstrated. Method of processing of gold-bearing technogenic objects by fluoridation with ammonium hydrofluoride, which in combination with magnetic separation provides 200-fold gold concentration gold, has been suggested.

Received 20 December 2012; published 11 January 2013.

Copyright 2013 by the Geophysical Center RAS