Biogenic Hydrogen Sulfide for Cyanide Regeneration in Solutions during Cupriferous Gold Ores Processing

Abstract

An optimal approach to the problem of cupriferous gold ores hydrometallurgical processing is the recycling of process solutions after copper recovery and regeneration of cyanide bound in complexes. The study focuses on the copper-cyanide solutions processing technology using biogenic hydrogen sulfide for copper recovery in the form of сhalcocite, and cyanide regeneration. The strains of anaerobic sulfidogenic thermophilic microorganisms Desulfurella acetivorans and Desulfurella Kamchatkensis were used for producing hydrogen sulfide. The studies on copper precipitation and cyanide regeneration were conducted on copper-cyanide process solutions which were obtained during cyanidation of refractory cupriferous gold-bearing flotation concentrates from one of the deposits in the South Ural (Russia). Ten cycles of "Cyanidation-Regeneration" were carried out in total. The copper recovery was 86–96 %; the cyanide regeneration obtained 96 %. On an average 8.9 kg of sodium cyanide and 4.6 kg of copper sulfide were recovered from 1 m3 of solution. The sodium cyanide consumption decreased from 25.0 kg/t to 6.0 kg/t without reducing gold recovery during the CIL (carbon-in-leach) recycling process. The gold recovery was the same 63–68 %.