Colloidal gold reduction in the CCD wash liquor - Thickening, Filtering, CCD & Water Treatment, Tailings Disposal - Metallurgist & Mineral Processing Engineer

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Colloidal gold reduction in the CCD wash liquor (5 replies and 1 comment)

5 years ago

Ayanda 5 years ago

Hi, I am trainee at a Biox plant. Can anyone please share any information on how to assist reduce colloidal gold(gold suspended in liquid). We're losing alot of gold suspended in the wash liquor at the CCDs. Has anyone faced anything like this before, if you have can you please assist on how to reduce gold losses.

Colette

5 years ago

Colette 5 years ago

There is a paper here:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270339169_Recovery_of_Colloidal_Gold_from_Bioleached_Wash_Liquor_with_the_Aid_of_Quebracho_Tannin

or here: http://gmj.umat.edu.gh/ojs/index.php/gmj/article/view/38/7

discussing this issue at Bogosu and offering some options for treatment, as well as references that could potentially point you in a direction.

hughabercrombie

5 years ago

hughabercrombie 5 years ago

The colloidal gold is suspended by the surface tension of the water. Use a surfactant such as dishwasher rinse aid, it takes very little to break the surface tension. There's lots of cheaper options on the web. Some suggest vinegar.

Ron G

5 years ago

Ron G 5 years ago

It depends of the particle size. Gold easily forms colloids in sub-micron size, too small to impart color to solution, but more commonly a red or purple. Cassius of purple was one of the earliest man-made pigments, a dried colloid of gold. Colloids counter the molecular attraction that normally agglomerates nano-scale particles by having a charge. The like charges of the particles repel each other, keeping them suspended. A surfactant might work but also changing the PH, boiling or the addition of a coagulant/flocculants are things to try. Perhaps someone else can suggest specific products if you can describe the colloid.

Ron G

5 years ago

One other method is co-precipitation. For example, adding lime, CaO, and bicarbonate (baking soda), NaHCO3, in a neutral or alkaline PH will precipitate CaCO3 (chalk). The particles might stick to the gold and bring them down, recoverable with dilute acid to dissolve the chalk. I'm not saying it would work. The hope is to suspend another particle that will grab the gold and settle it.

Todd H

5 years ago

Todd H 5 years ago

The use of various surfactants is common in this situation. The papers outlined about show the issues well. Jet Dry, a dishwasher additive works well and is available as an industrial chemical it contains Sodium Polycarboxylate among other ingredients. Best solution is to get a supplier to do the test work.

Regards

Todd Harvey - Global Resource Engineering http://www.global-resource-eng.com

dauren.abralin

5 years ago

dauren.abralin 5 years ago

Does design consider loses of colloidal gold with CCD o/f's? I used to work on some BIOX plants and it seems to to me that this colloidal gold was a kind of myth. For Suzdal gold mine design criteria consiedered 3% of gold losses with CCD o/f.

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