At present, a considerable part of gold, more than half of silver, and 60-80 percent of rare chalcogenides are extracted during processing of electrolytic slimes of copper production.Production schemes based on a combination of roasting and smelting ensure distillation, absorption of selenium in gas-cleaning solutions, and concentration of noble metals, Te, Pb, Sb, and others in cinders. In smelting, gold and silver are obtained in the form of an alloy, 60 percent of tellurium in soda slags, and Pb, Sb, and Te are distributed between slime and dust. This implies that the finishing operation - traditional smelting to a gold-silver alloy - is associated with substantial losses of noble metals and tellurium, the presence of return products (which considerably diminishes production completeness), harmful production conditions, etc. All this predetermines the urgency of developing a new technology that would ensure higher extractions of noble and rare metals from copper-electrolyte slimes, enhance complex utilization of raw materials, and reduce health hazards associated with the production process (1, 2).
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