Non-polluting process for recovery of precious metal values from ores including those containing carbonate materials

摘要

A non-polluting chemical process for recovery of metals from metal containing ores or other solid materials by:PP(1) Treating the ore with a large volume of an aqueous solution containing chloride and hypochlorite ions (lixiviant solution);PP(2) Recovering the solubilized metal values from the lixiviant solution by cementation;P P(3) Regenerating the hypochlorite ion by electrochemical means; andP P(4) Recycling the lixiviant solution.PPIn certain instances, steps (3) and (4) may be omitted with hypochlorite ion being provided as makeup to the circuit from external sources. The process of this invention has been shown to be effective for use with ores containing carbonate and cyanicidic minerals, including calcite.