Resin Gold Extraction Process —— A Rising Star

The resin gold extraction process is a pulp adsorption process in which ion exchange resin is used in chemical beneficiation to treat ore leachate to extract target components. It is similar to the common activated carbon adsorption process in the gold extraction process, except that the adsorption medium is changed from activated carbon to ion exchange resin.

Main Process of Resin Gold Extraction Process

The resin gold extraction process mainly includes three basic processes: resin adsorption, desorption recovery of gold on saturated gold-loaded resin, and resin regeneration.

(1) Resin adsorption: The gold-bearing ore is subjected to cyanidation leaching after crushing and grinding, and countercurrent resin adsorption (resin and pulp flow countercurrently) during leaching. The gold-loaded resin is extracted with an air lifter, and the gold-loaded resin is washed and put into a storage tank, and the pulp is discharged as tailings.

(2) Desorption and recovery of gold on saturated gold-loaded resin: After the gold-loaded resin is cleaned, it is sent to a desorption column with a jet for desorption operations, usually for 24-48 hours. The gold-loaded resin is decomposed with a heated desorption solution (the higher the desorption solution temperature, the shorter the desorption time, and the better the effect), and the produced pregnant solution enters the electrolytic cell for electrolysis and is recycled. After a certain cycle, the gold mud in the electrolytic cell is taken out for purification, and then cast into gold ingots.

(3) Resin regeneration: The desorbed resin is regenerated using sodium hydroxide. Different from the thermal activation regeneration of activated carbon, the resin can be regenerated at normal temperature and pressure.

Advantages of Resin Gold Extraction Process

(1) Compared with the CIP process, the resin gold extraction process has less investment in desorption and electrolysis equipment, low production cost, and simple production process operation.

(2) The surface area of the resin is larger than that of activated carbon, and the gold absorption speed, gold absorption capacity and strength are higher than those of activated carbon. Therefore, under the same conditions, the resin gold extraction process has a higher gold recovery rate than CIP, and has less resin consumption and low production cost.

(3) The resin gold extraction process can be non-toxic and desorbed under normal temperature and pressure, and the resin does not need thermal activation and regeneration, and can be recycled repeatedly.

(4) The selectivity of the resin is poor, the adsorption capacity of silver is large, and it can better adsorb silver (the adsorption rate of silver can reach more than 99%), and silver and gold can be eluted at the same time during desorption.

(5) When the ore contains rare and precious metals, the resin pulp process has obvious effect.

(6) The resin pulp method is still effective when there are appropriate amounts of flotation reagents and carbonaceous organic matter in the pulp.

Through years of production practice, the resin pulp gold extraction process has fully demonstrated that it has good process performance, and is superior to the CIP in terms of infrastructure investment, production cost and production indicators.