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Activated Carbon for Gold Recovery

Maximum gold recovery and reduction of treatment costs with active carbon specially designed for carbon in leach and carbon in pulp gold extraction circuits. Excellent absorption capability, high wear resistance, and uniform pore structure guarantee effective gold loading, eluting properties and prolonged carbon life cycles for large scale and small scale refinery operations.

What Is Activated Carbon for Gold Recovery?

Active Carbon for Gold Extraction is the use of special treated, high surface area granular active carbon (mainly coccate-shell grade chosen for its excellent toughness, macro-pore architecture and gold-absorption dynamics) in a cyanide leaching loop for extraction and concentration of dissolved gold from the slurry in large scale and small scale refinery operations.

In the modem gold treatment, the gold is dissolved in the water by using the dilute sodium cyanide solution. The introduction of active carbon into the leach mud allows selective adsorption of the dissolved gold compounds on their inner holes – a method that is marketed as carbon-in Lite (CIL), Carbon-In Pie (CIP), or Carbon-In Coke (CIC) circuits according to the quality of the ore, the properties of the sludge and the construction of the equipment. Subsequently, the gold bearing carbon is removed from the pulp, removed by high temperature elution, and thermal regeneration for re-use in the circuitry – enabling active carbon to become a consumable process input which will have a direct impact on both the total yield and the economy of the plant.

Traditional gravity and floatation concentrate techniques are not able to reach the high gold recovery rates provided by cyanide leaching with active carbon, which has become the predominant gold-extracting technique for low grade distributed minerals and complicated refractory deposits, which currently represent most of the world’s gold output.

Key Advantages of Activated Carbon for Gold Recovery

  • High Gold Adsorption Capacity and Loading Rates — Copra shell based active carbon provides a well-developed macro-pore and mesosphere network which promotes the rapid diffusion of the gold cyanide complex to the adsorption location, providing a high balance of Au loading to decrease the demand for the carbon stock and to increase the output of the circuit.
  • uperior Attrition Resistance in Agitated Slurry Circuits — The CIL and CIP circuits are subjected to constant mechanical stirring, pumping, and intermediate selection – conditions which quickly reduce low hard carbon into a fine that goes past the screen and represents an irreversible metal loss. Coconut shell grade offers the hardness and wear resistance needed to maintain carbon integrity over long circuit residence times.
  • Efficient Gold Elution and Thermal Regeneration Performance — The active carbon, which is used for gold recovery, should be free of absorbed gold in the elution-stripping phase, and can be completely restored by heat activation.
  • Selective Gold Adsorption Over Competing Metal Complexes— Process slurry contains competitive cyanide complexes of Cu, Zn, Fe, and other basic metals which can be loaded on carbon and decrease the effective Au absorption ability. Active Carbon Level Optimized for Gold Recovery Maintenance Preference Preference for Gold Cyanide Compounds in Typical CIL and CIP Operational Conditions, Safeguarding Gold in Multi.
  • Reduced Carbon Consumption and Operating Cost Per Ounce — Carbon wear loss, regeneration rate, and make-up carbon consumption are the main operational cost drivers for carbon-based gold circuits; high hardness, heat-stable active carbon grades minimise physical damage and prolong working lifetime, providing a measurable decrease in CO2 emissions for each ounce of gold recovered over the entire production cycle.

Industry Challenges About Activated Carbon for Gold Recovery

Carbon Attrition and Fines Generation

Constant mechanical mixing, pumping and intermediate sorting in the CIL and CIP circuits are used to physically break down the low hard- hard active carbon to a fine which goes over the retaining screens, which is a direct and irreversible loss of gold.

Inconsistent Elution Stripping Performance

Variations in active carbon pore structure, ash content, and surface chemistry among suppliers and production batches produce inconsistent gold elution results that complicate stripping circuit optimization and lower refinery feed quality.

Carbon Regeneration Capacity Loss Over Multiple Cycles

Successive heat reactivators reduce active carbon absorption by means of pore collapse, ash accumulation, and surface contamination, thus increasing the amount of carbon consumed and the operational cost per ounce of gold.

Specific Use Scenarios — Activated Carbon for Gold Recovery

Carbon-in-Leach (CIL) Circuit Operation

The CIL loops are used to introduce the active carbon into the cyanide leach pools together with the ore pulp, which at the same time has to be leached and absorbed in one comprehensive treatment phase. This arrangement is especially useful for minerals containing natural carbon, which would otherwise result in a preg-stealing loss, and it also decreases the total circuit cost and the cost of a separate leach and adsorption phase.

Carbon-in-Pulp (CIP) Circuit Operation

In a CIP loop, active carbon is placed in a special absorption vessel located downstream from the leach loop and in contact with clear or partly settled leach mud to absorb the dissolved gold when the leaching phase is finished. The CIP operation enables separate optimal extraction and absorption conditions, which is a prime option for high quality ore handling operations, in which maximum gold loading on carbon and minimising solution losses are the main purpose of the circuitry.

Carbon-in-Column (CIC) Heap Leach Recovery

In heap leach operations dealing with low grade oxide minerals, a pre-loaded leach solution that is discharged from the pile is transferred to a fixed bed active carbon column to absorb the dissolved gold from the liquid flow prior to its return to the pile. CIC circuitry works at a significantly lower fiber density compared to CIL or CIP systems, which demands an active carbon class with optimal flow rate properties and a high Au absorption capability at a dilute gold concentration typically associated with a heap leach.

Gold Elution and Stripping

Gold laden active carbon obtained from CIL, CIP or CIC circuits is fed into an elution tower, wherein high temperature alkali cyanide or an alcohol based ribbon solution removes the absorbed gold complex from the carbon surface and generates a concentration of gold containing eluate for electrowinning or zinc deposition. The homogeneity of active carbon pore structure and low ash content decide the removal efficiency and complete degree of desorbing in every elution period.

Thermal Reactivation and Carbon Regeneration

The spent active carbon is thermally reactivated at 650-750oC in a rotary kiln or multi-hearth oven to remove the organic contamination, recover its surface area, and reclaim its ability to recycle in the leach loop. High-quality copra shell based carbon has an inherent high degree of toughness and heat resistance to multiple re-activation cycles with a minimum of porosity and grain fracture, thus decreasing the amount of carbon consumed and decreasing the overall CO2 cost per ounce of gold.

Fine Gold Recovery from Tailings and Low-Grade Streams

The amount of waste carbon is increased by the accumulation of organic pollution and the deterioration of the pore structure. Thermal reactivation at 650 – 750 ° C in rotary kiln/multiple-hearth furnace burns off organics and restores pore structure. Carbon hardness and thermal stability determine its reusable reactivation cycles.

Small-Scale and Artisanal Gold Refining

Active carbon offers a mercury free approach to gold concentration in small scale mining and craft gold refinery operations, which is technically available without the complicated infrastructure needed to operate a complete CIL or CIP facility. PAC packed in a single tower or tank contactor enables small scale operators to absorb gold from cyanide-leach solution, remove the loaded carbon with a basic elution process, and recover the refined gold by electrowinning or mercury-free smelting.

Selective Gold Recovery in Polymetallic Processing

Active carbon is used within optimized circuit configurations — including split-factor loading and selective elution protocols — to maximize preferential gold adsorption while managing the co-loading of competing base metal cyanide complexes that decrease the effective carbon gold capacity and complicate downstream refinery feed quality management in an operation where there are substantial amounts of Cu, Ag, Zn, and other basic metals in addition to gold.

Our Activated Carbon for Gold Recovery Advantages

High Gold Loading Capacity with Superior Attrition Resistance

Copra shell based active carbon provides extraordinary absorption rates of gold cyanide in combination with a toughness that is necessary for enduring CIL and CIP cycles – minimising the production of carbon fines, decreasing the amount of unsalvageable gold lost, and reducing the amount of make-up carbon consumed per ounce.

Consistent Elution and Regeneration Performance Across Multiple Cycles

Even hole configuration and low ash content guarantee repetitive removal of gold and total absorption ability following heat reactivating - keeping predictable circuitry properties and decreasing the CO exchange rate which drives operational costs in high throughput gold treatment facilities.

Reliable Elution & Reactivation Performance

The optimal surface chemical composition and pore size profile keep the preference of the gold-cyanide complex on the competitive base-metal complex in the multi-metallic slurry - preserving the recycling rate of the circuit and the consistency of the feedstock in the processing environment that the coloading of Cu, Zn, and Fe Cyanide would be detrimental to the carbon performance.

Find All Activated Carbon Categories

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Choosing the correct active carbon for your Gold Recycling Loop will be dependent on the kind of ore, the circuitry arrangement, and the goal of the Gold Loading Capability. Our active carbon portfolio consists of coke-shell, coal-based, and wood-based grades – encompassing CIL, CIP, CIC and heap leach applications with a high flow rate of gold treatment. View the full catalogue of active carbon products for comparison of technology data sheets, wear resistant values, and gold absorption capabilities.
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Find All Industrial Solutions

Gold recovery is one application within a wider range of industries where activated carbon and specialty chemical materials deliver mission-critical performance. Our Industrial Solutions Centre encompasses a wide range of applications – from mining and metallurgical to water-treating, food-processing, and environmental remediation – by mapping active carbon, active aluminum oxide, and titanium dioxide into concrete technological challenges for every sector. Look for a full range of industrial solutions to identify the most appropriate materials and methods for your operations.
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The products shall be enclosed in a durable, moistureproof pouch or bulk container, so as to guarantee the cleanliness and completeness of transportation. Customized packing options for special size and handling needs.

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