DEVELOPMENT OF A SELF-CONTAINED BROMINE/BROMIDE PROCESS FOR LEACHING AND RECOVERY OF GOLD FROM GOLD ORES

摘要

The AuBrLSX bromine/bromide process for leaching and recovery of gold was developed to improve recoveries and reduce operating and capital costs for new gold processing plants. It also provides an alternative to the use of cyanide for leaching due to increasing legislative pressure on licensing cyanide installations. The AuBrLSX process is also applicable to some ores which are refractory to cyanide.Halide leaching has been in use since the late 1800's, but bromine/bromide leaching has not been adopted on a wide scale to date mostly due to the simplicity and efficacy of using cyanide.The new AuBrLSX Process includes atmospheric and ambient leaching, solid liquid separation, solution purification and concentration by solvent extraction, gold recovery by electro-winning followed by electro-regeneration of the bromine lixiviant. The process is a completely recycled system with minimal reagent bleed and make-up. The tailings residue is washed filter cake.Leaching tests conducted on several types of ore revealed equal or superior gold recovery compared to cyanide recoveries.This paper outlines the testing of the process in a series of successful bench-scale tests of various ore types. A continuous mini-pilot scale test set-up for on an oxidized ore is currently being designed and will become operational during 2016.