USE OF ORGANO-SULFUR REAGENTS FOR RECOVERY AND RECYCLE OF SILVER, COPPER, ZINC AND CYANIDE FROM PRECIOUS METALS CYANIDATION EFFLUENTS

摘要

Gold ores containing high levels of cyanide-leachable copperminerals, such as covellite, chalcocite, bornite, malachite, azurite,and cuprite have traditionally been difficult to treat economically. Anovel hydrometallurgical process for efficient treatment of cyanidationeffluents obtained by leaching high copper gold ores (or concentrates)based on the use of Cherokee Chemical organo-sulfurreagents (OSR-A, OSR-B and OSR-C) is described. The processmay be modified to selectively precipitate silver, or completely recoversilver, copper and zinc, as well as regenerate significant amountsof cyanide. For example, data obtained demonstrate that 100 % ofsilver and zinc, and 98 % of copper were removed from the solution,while 80 % of cyanide was recovered. The treated barren solutionsexhibit enhanced gold and silver leaching kinetics compared to theuntreated controls.