Process of Electrowinning of Gold

Process of electrowinning of gold, also called electric extraction, is a process of recovering gold by desorption electrolysis of gold loaded carbon under high temperature and high pressure conditions. It is an important part in the gold cyanidation process. Why is this process widely used in mineral processing plants?

The high temperature and high pressure gold loaded carbon process of electrowinning of gold is the most common technology used in gold loaded carbon desorption electrolysis equipment technology. In this process, first of all, the grade of gold loaded carbon is very high. At the same time, the length of desorption time is controlled according to the grade of gold loaded carbon. Only when the gold loaded carbon grade and desorption time reach the optimal configuration, the purification of gold is the most standard.

Due to the increasing accumulation of gold cyanidation experience, the new process of electrowinning of gold is becoming more and more widely used. The process of electrowinning of gold is usually divided into the following steps:

Solvent Desorption

The desorption liquid and the gold loaded carbon in the process of electrowinning of gold are respectively placed in different mass transfer layers in the comprehensive desorption tower, that is, the pregnant liquid is concentrated in the lower part of the comprehensive desorption tower, and the gold loaded carbon is placed in the middle and lower layers of the comprehensive desorption tower and only let the non-gold-loaded pulp and water vapor enter the middle of the comprehensive desorption tower from the top to the bottom to carry out vapor-solid, liquid-solid full contact and reaction with the gold loaded carbon to desorb the gold in the gold loaded carbon, so as to achieve steam desorption.

Solvent Condensation

The desorption liquid and the gold loaded carbon in the process of electrowinning of gold are respectively placed in different mass transfer layers in the comprehensive desorption tower, that is, the pregnant liquid is concentrated in the lower part of the comprehensive desorption tower, and the gold loaded carbon is placed in the middle and lower layers of the comprehensive desorption tower and only let the non-gold-loaded pulp and water vapor enter the middle of the comprehensive desorption tower from the top to the bottom to carry out vapor-solid, liquid-solid full contact and reaction with the gold loaded carbon to desorb the gold in the gold loaded carbon, so as to achieve steam desorption.

Pregnant Electrolysis

The pregnant liquid obtained after solvent vapor desorption in the middle section of the integrated desorption tower first flows into the pregnant liquid section in the lower part of the integrated desorption tower for storage. After the concentration of pregnant liquid is increased to the process index in the process of electrowinning of gold, it is transported to the electrolytic cell by the pregnant liquid pump, and the pregnant liquid is electrolyzed to obtain coarse gold by controlling the direct current of the electrolytic cell. It is also an important step in the process of electrowinning of gold.

Get Gold Ingots

This is the last step of the process of electrowinning of gold. After the obtained gold slime is simply pickled to remove impurities, the gold ingot can be directly smelted.

What’s more, the new process of electrowinning of gold has the following advantages:

(1) High recovery rate

The desorption of solution vapor and the electrolysis of pregnant liquids are carried out independently. The innovation of this process realizes the desorption of steam and the recycling of solvents. The solvent vapor does not enter the process of electrowinning of gold which can ensure the safety of process of electrowinning of gold in the application.

(2) Automatical process

The process of electrowinning of gold makes it possible to monitor the whole process automatically, which not only guarantees the production safety during gold recovery, but also guarantees the economic safety of gold mine recovery;

(3) Safe operation process

The process of electrowinning of gold uses appropriate temperature and level detection points and sensor installation methods to ensure that the sealing performance of the absorption electrolysis device is understood, and potential safety hazards are eliminated.

The process of electrowinning of gold has the following five advantages: faster electrolysis, lower tailings grade, safe and reliable operation process, high degree of system automation, and good economic benefits. Therefore, it is widely used in gold processing plants.