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Choice of a Sorbent for Copper and Cobalt Sorption from Gold-Containing Heap Leaching Solutions

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Metallurgist Aims and scope

In hydrometallurgical processing of oxidized gold-bearing ores, copper, cobalt, zinc, and other metals, along with gold, dissolve in sodium cyanide alkaline solutions forming metal cyanide complexes, which have a negative impact on the gold leaching process. One method for removing copper from cyanide solutions is sorption using anion exchange resins. This article discusses the choice of a sorbent for sorption of gold, copper and cobalt from production and barren gold-containing solutions. Sorption studies are conducted on production solutions obtained during heap leaching of gold from ore (gold 1.13-1.20 mg/liter; copper 60.8-63.2 mg/liter; cobalt 1.73-1.78 mg/liter; iron 0.1 mg/liter), and on barren solutions after gold extraction from production solutions using activated carbon (gold 0.19-0.26 mg/liter; copper 49.6-59.5 mg/liter; cobalt 1.61-1.83 mg/liter; iron < 0.1 mg/liter). Sorption studies are conducted using resins such as AM-2B, Purolite A-500 and AV-17-8. Research results show that sorption characteristics of the resins tested for sorption of metals (copper, cobalt) from production and barren solutions are similar. For sorption of copper and cobalt strongly basic resins AV-17-8 and Purolite A-500 demonstrate the best sorption characteristics. The mixed-base anion exchange resin AM-2B exhibits enhanced selectivity for gold.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kazakh-British Technical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

    E. S. Kanaly

  2. Kazmekhanobr State Scientific Production Association of Industrial Ecology, Almaty, Kazakhstan

    E. S. Kanaly, B. N. Surimbaev, L. S. Bolotova & S. T. Shalgymbaev

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  1. E. S. Kanaly
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  2. B. N. Surimbaev
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  3. L. S. Bolotova
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  4. S. T. Shalgymbaev
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Correspondence to E. S. Kanaly.

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Translated from Metallurg, Vol. 67, No. 10, pp. 34–38, October, 2023. Russian DOIhttps://doi.org/10.52351/00260827_2023_10_34.

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Kanaly, E.S., Surimbaev, B.N., Bolotova, L.S. et al. Choice of a Sorbent for Copper and Cobalt Sorption from Gold-Containing Heap Leaching Solutions. Metallurgist 67, 1457–1465 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11015-024-01638-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11015-024-01638-0

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