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The CIL (carbon extraction) process of is a commonly used gold ore extraction method that is widely used in gold ore concentrators and smelters. It is capable of processing a variety of gold mineral types and has good results in gold recovery. It involves the process of dissolving gold particles into a cyanide solution and then adsorbing the gold onto activated carbon. The following will introduce you to the basic steps of the CIL process for gold ore and the required equipment.
Use the table of contents below to navigate through the guide:
Raw gold ore first needs to be crushed and finely ground through the crushing and grinding process to expose the gold particles for subsequent leaching processing. Commonly used equipment include jaw crushers, cone crushers and impact crushers for primary and secondary crushing. Ball mills and SAG (semi-autogenous grinding mills) are commonly used to grind ore to fine sizes.
Crushed and ground gold ore is contacted and mixed with a cyanide-containing solution in a leach tank. After mixing, the cyanide ions react with the gold on the surface of the gold particles, dissolving the gold into gold cyanide ions. Stirred tanks are used to mix the gold ore slurry with the cyanide solution. Tanks are usually equipped with stirrers or paddles to ensure thorough mixing of the ore and chemical reagents. A leaching tank is used to perform the leaching process, in which gold particles are dissolved into a cyanide solution. These tanks are often equipped with carbon screens or other mechanisms to prevent the loss of activated carbon during the leaching process.
The leached solution is sent to a carbon leach tank where activated carbon is placed. Gold cyanide ions are adsorbed onto the surface of activated carbon, forming gold-loaded carbon. The main equipment used is a carbon leaching tank. The leaching slurry obtained from the leaching tank is transported to the carbon leaching tank and activated carbon is added. The gold in the solution is adsorbed onto the activated carbon to form loaded gold.
After a period of adsorption, the gold-loaded carbon will be eluted. Hot corrosive solutions (such as a mixture of sodium hydroxide and cyanide) are often used for elution to desorb gold from activated carbon. The main equipment used in this process is an elution column, which is used to remove gold from loaded gold. By passing a hot corrosive cyanide solution through activated carbon, the gold is dissolved and carried into the elution column.
The eluted gold-containing solution passes through the electrolytic cell. In the electrolytic cell, gold ions are reduced to gold metal and deposited as a gold layer on the electrode. Electrowinning cells are used to recover gold from the eluate obtained during the elution process. Gold is plated on stainless steel or other suitable electrodes by applying an electric current. The activated carbon in the electroplating tank can be regenerated after electroplating. Activated carbon is treated with high temperatures and chemicals to remove the gold adsorbed on its surface, turning it back into reusable activated carbon.
The metal obtained from electroplating can be further refined to obtain a higher purity gold product. This can include through smelting, electrolysis, etc. Once gold is recovered from the electrowinning process, it can be further processed through gold smelting equipment to obtain a pure final gold product. This can involve the use of a furnace or other refining methods.
It is worth noting that the specific machines and equipment used in the CIL process for gold ore may vary depending on the size of the operation, ore characteristics and other factors. Xinhai Mining can provide you with ore beneficiation tests and tailor-made suitable gold ore beneficiation processes and equipment. Welcome to leave a message for consultation.
