Highly Efficient and Selective Extraction of Gold from Thiosulfate Leaching Solution Using Functionalized Dicationic Ionic Liquids

Abstract

Thiosulfate leaching has been regarded as a promising alternative to cyanidation, but it still faces the challenge of the recovery of low content of gold from high concentrations of thiosulfate solutions. Liquid–liquid extraction is a method to address this issue but is still limited by the use of volatile and toxic organic solvents. To overcome this limitation, this work synthesized some functionalized dicationic ionic liquids (DILs) to serve as extraction solvents for the recovery of the gold–thiosulfate complex, [Au(S2O3)2]3−, from thiosulfate solutions. Experimental results indicated that the DILs showed higher extraction rates toward [Au(S2O3)2]3− compared with their monocationic-based counterparts, likely due to the stronger electrostatic interaction between the dications of the ILs and [Au(S2O3)2]3−. The transfer of [Au(S2O3)2]3− from the water phase to the IL phase was identified as an anion exchange and endothermic process. The rate of extraction was limited by the anion exchange process occurring at the IL–water interface. The extraction ability of ILs highly depended on the type of anion; specifically, the ILs with anions that had strong hydrogen-bonding ability exhibited high extraction ability toward [Au(S2O3)2]3−. Finally, DILs proved effective in the recovery of [Au(S2O3)2]3− from an actual gold leaching solution and exhibited high selectivity toward coexisting ions, indicating their potential as environmentally friendly solvents for gold recovery.