Desorption electrowinning set for gold cyanidation process CIL Plant in 2016

Yantai Jinpeng Mining Machinery CO., LTD

Professional mineral processing design, equipment production,installation and conmissioning institue.

Tel: 0086-535-3410108

 Desorption Electrolytic Equipment Complex for gold extraction

       This system mainly consists of desorption part, electrolytic part, instrumental control part,pipeline,and valves. These parts are integrated with each other and form an integral system.

Main equipment of this system includes desorption column, filter, electrolytic bath, circulating pump, electric heater, heat exchanger, stripping liquid storage tank, carbon storage tank, electric control

cabinet, and rectification cabinet, etc.

Principle of desorption

     After the gold in cyanide solution is adsorbed by activated carbon, a reversible equilibrium state is established in the cyaniding system between the gold on the surface of gold-loaded carbon and the gold in cyanide solution. The gold-loaded carbon is also in the similar equilibrium state when it is desorbed. When adding CN- or OH- to the desorption system, as these anions are more easily adsorbed by the activated carbon, Au(CN-)2 already adsorbed will be recovered, and the reversible equilibrium of gold adsorption is interrupted and develops adversely against gold adsorption. This is gold desorption. The process of gold desorption is shown as follows:

We can presume that desorption of gold from gold-loaded carbon is essentially trying to destroy the equilibrium of activated carbon adsorption, and causing the process to develop adversely against gold adsorption. Therefore, increasing the cyanide density, increasing alkalinity, raising the temperature, boosting the pressure or adding organic solvent will accelerate desorption of gold from the activated carbon.

Principle of electrolysis

The pregnant solution obtained through desorption of gold-loaded carbon contains gold undoubtedly. The gold contained in pregnant solution can be recovered by electrolytic method. Because no new substance is added into the solution in the process of electrolysis, pure gold sediments can be obtained, which facilitates the further treatment. Therefore, electrolytic method is adopted by most of the gold mines.

Gold exists in the desorbed pregnant solution in the form of Au (CN-) 2. Precipitation of gold, silver and little copper is done by the cathode in the electrolysis process, and so it is with hydrogen due to water deoxidization. Oxygen is separated out by the anode, resulting in ionic oxidation, where carbon dioxide and nitrogen are separated.

Here are the reactions:

Cathode reactions:

 Anode reactions:

 Reactions of bulk solution:

Other reactions also occur in the electrolysis process. However, these three kinds of reactions mentioned above are principal.

Tests and research show that, under normal electrolytic conditions, main control procedures of gold electrolysis depends on the velocity of Au(CN)2¯ diffusing to cathode surface, and the gold deposition velocity is only subject to the control of mass transfer process. The electrolytic efficiency can be represented by the following formula:

Log(CO/C1)=KmtS/2.3F

Of which: Km=P/δ-----mass transfer coefficient; P----diffusion coefficient of discharging particle (Au(CN)2¯); δ----thickness of diffusion layer; CO----primary gold concentration; Ct----gold concentration after electrolysis; t----time of electrolysis; S----surface area of cathode

 Used in the following gold CIP flowchart.

Used onsite

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