Combined leaching of Carlin-type gold deposit in Guizhou by potassium chlorate and bleaching powder

Abstract

Abstract Cyanidation has been considered an effective process for extracting gold from gold-bearing ores for over 100 years. However, this process also has several disadvantages including it being toxic, inefficient, and unsuitable for leaching gold from carbonaceous gold ores containing organic and inorganic carbons. Moreover, it is not feasible for the extraction of gold from refractory gold ores , which are increasingly being used.Therefore, there is an urgent need to find an environmentally friendly and efficient leaching method to improve the extraction rate of gold from refractory gold ores. This study discusses using potassium chlorate and bleaching powder for combined leaching of refractory gold ore. Compared with other leaching methods, this method does not require the pre-oxidizing of the refractory gold ore. Moreover, the optimal reaction temperature required for the reaction is lower, thus achieving efficient and environmentally friendly leaching of refractory gold ore. To improve on the method, we used response surface methodology (RSM). RSM can quickly determine the quadratic function connection between the response value and each component and optimize the experimental settings to precisely forecast the experimental findings, saving a significant amount of time and money.This study presents a response surface approach based on a thermodynamic analysis of gold-bearing mineral oxidation to analyze the primary composite design experiment. The response surface model uses four components and three levels of potassium chlorate concentration, bleaching powder addition, reaction temperature, and reaction pH. The model gives 0.16 mol l−1 potassium chlorate, 37.5 g bleaching powder, 25 °C reaction temperature, and reaction pH of 13 as the optimal conditions for leaching gold using potassium chlorate and bleaching powder. Under these conditions, the gold leaching rate can reach 90.84%. In addition, the following parameters influence combined gold leaching in decreasing order: bleaching powder dose, reaction temperature, potassium chlorate concentration, and reaction pH.The results show that potassium chlorate and bleaching powder combined is advantageous for leaching of Carlin-type gold ore in Guizhou. It provides a high leaching rate. There is no need for pre-oxidation of gold ore. It is a simple inexpensive process that can be operated at a low optimum reaction temperature. Thus, it is a feasible method in industrial applications and provides a new way for gold leaching.