Patent attributes
The present disclosure is directed to a gold recovery process in which activated carbon or another carbon-based material is used to accelerate thiosulfate leaching of gold from a gold-bearing material. The present disclosure improves the overall precious metal recovery of thiosulfate refractory precious metal-bearing materials. Leaching is done by substantially simultaneously mixing a slurry containing the precious metal-bearing material, water, thiosulfate, a carbon-based material, and dissolved molecular oxygen (as the oxidizing reagent) and performing leaching in the presence of the various components for a predetermined residence time. The carbon-based material is maintained in the slurry during leaching to provide increased gold recoveries.
