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Gold Solvent Extraction / Reduction Process

Gold can be recovered from chloride leach solutions by solvent extraction followed by direct reduction from the loaded organic phase to >99.9 % granular metallic gold. The technology was first commercially used in 1971 and has since been implemented at numerous gold refineries throughout the world.

Granular Gold from SX / Reduction Process

Sources of feed materials containing gold amenable to the Gold Solvent Extraction / Reduction Process include the following:

1. High grade ores and gravity concentrates

2. Merrill Crowe precipitates or PGM concentrates

3. Chemical and metal precipitates containing crude gold

4. Electrolytic plating operations that produce anode slimes and cathode sludges

5. Electronic scrape containing gold coated parts

6. Scrap carat jewelry and gold filings

Advantages of the Process

The advantages of using the gold solvent extraction / reduction process are summarized as follows:

1. The gold solvent extraction / reduction process yields > 99 % recoveries producing high purity granular gold with assays of > 99.9 % pure gold

2. This technology can be implemented for any scale of operation

3. Easily integrated into existing gold refining operations with our portable leaching, solvent extraction, and reduction modular plants

4. Low capital and low operating costs as compared to the traditional pyrometallurgical or electro-refining processes

Process Description

The process basically consists of the following process steps:

1. Leaching of gold from the feed material with hydrochloric acid under oxidizing conditions in order to dissolve the gold as gold (III) chloride

2. Separate the aqueous solution of gold (III) chloride from the leached residue in order to produce a clean SX Feed

3. Solvent extraction of the gold (III) chloride from the SX Feed onto the organic phase

4. Direct reduction of gold (III) chloride from the organic phase with a chemical reductant in order to produce high purity granular metallic gold

5. Separate the granular metallic gold from the organic phase and recycle the organic phase back into the solvent extraction process

6. Wash, melt, and cast the granular metallic gold into 99.99 % gold ingots.

Please contact SX Kinetics for further information regarding the Gold Solvent Extraction / Reduction Process. We can design and manufacture a complete turn key gold production plant to meet your specific needs.

For a brochure on the gold solvent extraction technology please download: Gold Solvent Extraction