Chapter 11

Metal Producti on
Davi d A . Mi l l i
gan 2005 Mi
stletoe Lane
Edmond, Okl ahoma 73034

Contents of ChaQter

11.1 INTRODUCTI ON
11.2 CARBON ELUTION
11.2.1 Stri ppi ng Columns
11.2.2 Metal Concentrati on
11.2.2.1 El ectrowi nni ng
11.2.2.2 Zinc Preci pi tation
11.2 .3 Carbon Hand l i ng
11.2 .4 Heati ng Equi pment
11.3 SMELTING
11.3.1 Merri l l -Crowe Preci pitates
11.3.1.1 Pretreatment
11.3.1.2 Fl ux Selection
11.3.1.3 Furnace Operati on
11.3.2 El ectrowi nni ng Cathodes and Sl udge
11.3.2.l Pretreatment
11.3.2.2 Fl ux Selecti on
11.3.2.3 Furnace Operati on

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11.1 INTRODUCT I ON
The prec ious met a l s i n the l each sol u t i on are extr acted , concen tr ated
, and p u r i f i ed . Several d i f f erent processes are req u i red to con v ert
t he d i ssol v ed prec i ous met a l s i nto pu re met al b ars . The sale of an i
n termed i ate p rec i ous met al cont a i n i ng prod uct i s poss i b l e ; howev er ,
the v a l ue of the p rec i ou s met a l s is red uced by the v ar iou s charg es and r i
sk s assoc i ated wi th prec i ous meta l p rocess i ng . The prec i ous metal s may be extr
acted from the .l each sol u t i on by bot h con vent i on a l and uncon ven t i on a l
p rocesses . The con ven t ional processes are act i v ated carbon /el ectrow i n n i ng
{ACE ) and z i nc p rec i p i t at i on
{Z I P ) . The uncon vent i on a l processes are res i n i on exch an ge , sol v
ent extr act i on , and d i rect el ectrowi n n i ng .
The cho i ce between the conven t i on a 1 p rocesses , the ACE process or
the Z I P p rocess , i s of ten made based upon the si l ver and go l d con tent of t he l
each solu t i on . I n a l arge p l ant where the si l ver /gol d rat i o exceed s two
or where the met al concent r ati on exceed s two p arts per mi11 i on , the Z I P
process i s typ ically pref erred . Th i s cho i ce i s based upon mi n i mi z i ng the
oper at i ng cost per ou nce. I n a sma ll oper at i on where ease of oper at i on and
m i n i m i z i ng the cap i t al inv estment are maja r cr iter i a , the ACE process
wi 11 typ i ca l l y be sel ected .
A typ i ca l ACE process h as two circu l at i ng l oops . The f i rst l oop ad
sorbs the cy an i de-metal comp l exes f rom t he d i l u te l each sol u t i on onto the act i
v ated carbon wh i l e the second sol u t i on l oop remov es the cy an i de-met al comp l
exes f rom the act i v ated carbon into a strong sol u t i on , the el ectrow i nn i n g
el ectro l yte . Act i v ated carbon i s tran sf erred from one f l u i d l oop to the other
. A cocon u t shell act i v ated ch arcoal i s p ref erred . The ef f i c i ent ad sorn t i on
and str i pp i ng of the act i v ated ch arcoa l are cr i t i ca l to good oper at i on
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. The oper at i ng cost

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of the ACE process i s d i rec t i ona lly propor t i ona l to

the qu an t i ty of carbon str i pped and th u s to the q u an t i ty of prec i ous met

a l p rod uced .

A typ i cal ZI P process cont a i ns a si ng l e c i rcu l at i ng l oop . The sol u

t i on i s f i ltered , deaer ated , con t acted w ith z i nc , and f il t ered ag a i n .

The b arren l each sol u t i on i s then ret u rned to the heap . The z i nc sl ud ge

recovered i n t h e second f il ter i ng step conta i ns the prec i ous met a l . Th i s

sl ud ge i s typ i ca lly dr i ed , fl u xed , and sme lted to a dore . For ef f i c i

ent oper at i on of the Z I P p rocess , the deaer at i on step i s cr it ica l . Z i nc

prec i p itat ion ef f i c i ency i s contr o l l ed by the res i du a l oxyg en af ter deaer at

i on , the r at i o of z i nc added to met al p rec i p i tated , the con t act t i me , the

ag i t at i on l eve l , and the ch aracter i st i cs of the z i nc . The oper at i ng

cost of the ZIP process i s d i rec t i ona lly p ropor t i onal to the q u ant i ty

of sol u t i on treated w i th a sma ll dependence upan the met a l conten t of the sol u t

i on . The Z I P process req u i res near ly f u l l -t i me mon i tor i ng f or ef f i c i

ent gol d and s i l v er recov ery . Sma l l i nexpens i ve por t ab l e Z I P u n i ts can

be pu rch ased .

A p rec i ous met al sl ud ge i s p rod uced f rom bot h the ACE and the

Z I P p rocesses . Th i s s l ud g e mu st be trea ted by bot h hyd romet a l l u rg i c a l

and pyrometa l l u rg i cal means to f orm pu re met a l bars . The con ven t i onal

met h od i nvo l ves f i rst a pyromet a l l u rg i ca l tre atmen t w i th the necess ary f l

u xes t o f orm a dore of gol d , sil v er , and copper . The dore may be sol d to

met al ref i ner s . The dore i s ref i ned hyd romet all u rg i ca lly to pu re met a l s .

The pu re met a l s are me lted and cast into b ars of gol d and sil v er for sal e .

An u ncon ve n t i on a l met h od of chemi ca lly ref i n i ng the met a l s h as been dev

e l oped . The s l ud ge i s hyd romet a 11u rg i cally treated to p rod uce pu re met a 1

powders . The p owde rs are then me l ted and pou red i nto bars or i ngot s .
11.2 CARBON ELUTION
The loaded carbon is stri pped of its precious metal content in
the carbon el uti on circui t. The strippi ng circuit contai ns four major
components:
1) Carbon strip col umns; 2) Metal concentrati on equi oment; 3) Carbon
hand l i ng equi pment; and 4) Heat exchange and heati ng equipment .
The carbon strip col umns may be operated i n a countercurrent manner;
however, a sing le vessel is often used. Many strippi ng sol uti on
composi ti ons are possi bl e. The key operati ng parameters are the
characteri stics of the carbon, the temperature of the strippi ng
col umn, the circul ati on rate, and the effi ciency of the metal
concentrati on eq ui pment. The hot strippi ng col umns generate a hi gh-
grade so1 uti on of preci ous metal s. This soluti on i s cool ed and
passed through the metal concentrati on equipment . The barren strip
soluti on i s then recycl ed to the strippi ng col umn after heati ng.
The stripped carbon is treated in the carbon handl i ng faci l i ti es to
mai ntai n its i ni ti al acti vi ty and kinetic properti es. The
carbon i s returned to the adsorpti on secti on to be l oaded agai n. The
product from the metal concentrati on equi pment i s washed and dri ed
for further processi ng or for sale.

11.2.1 Stri ppi ng Col umns

The strippi ng col umns provi de contact between the hot strip
soluti on and the l oaded acti v ated carbon at the conditi ons
necessary for strippi ng of the cyani de-metal compl exes . One or more
vessel s may be used i n a countercurrent flow arrangement . The strip
col urnn is i nsul ated to reduce heat l oss. The carbon is l oaded into
the str ip column often as a slurry. The system i s seal ed and the
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carbon stripped. The carbon is then unl oaded from the col umn and
transferred back to the adsorpti on ci rcuit. For effi cient contact wi
th the carbon, the vessel i s typi cal ly a col umn wi th a hei ght of
approxi mately eight

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to ten f eet . The character i st i cs of the carbon , t he temper atu re of
the str i pp i ng col umn , t he c i r cu l at i on r ate , and the ef f i c i ency of t he
met a l concen trat i on equ i pmen t are the key oper at i ng par ameter s .
The equ i l i br i um l oad i ng of carbon for a pa r t i cu l ar l each sol u t i on may
exceed 750 ou nces per ton of carbon ( oz/ ton ) ; however , the oper at i ng l oad i
ng l evel i s much l ower . An oper at i ng carbon l oad i ng l evel of 150 to 200
oz / ton prec i ou s met a 1 can be ach i eved u nder nor ma 1 go 1d 1each i ng cond i t i
on s wit h 1each so1u t i on concentr at i ons above 1 ppm. The carbon may a l so cont
a i n other cyan i de-meta l comp l exes such as copper , mercu ry , and z i nc . To
str i p the carbon , a hot sol u t i on i s c i rcu l ated th rou gh t he carbon .
Many str i pp i ng sol u t i on compos i t i ons are poss i b l e . Th e USBM or i g i n
all y str i pped carbon w i th a sol u t ion of 1 percen t cau st i c , NaOH , p l us 0 .1
percent sod i um cyan i de near the bo i l i ng po i nt of water . Two to three days of str
i pp i ng were req u i red . The sol u t i on compos i t i on sel ect i on i s b ased upon
saf ety , ease of operat i on , cap i t a l cost , and oper at i ng cost compar i son . E ach
sol u t i on mus t oper ate at a pa rt i cu l ar temper atu re and f or a p art i cu l ar t
ime to ob t a i n an ef f i c i ent str i p of the act i v ated ch arcoa l . Tab l e
11.1 i l l ust r ates sever a l d i f f erent sol u t i ons w i th t he i r req u i red t
imes and temper atu res . Oth er sol u t i ons wit h v ary i ng q uan t i t i es of organ
i cs have been used i n South Af r i ca and Au stra l i a .
 TABLE 11.1 STRIPPI NG SOLUTIONS

Soluti on Strip Temgerature Time

Compositi on e Hrs

1 % NaOH 88 52
0.1% NaCN
1 % NaOH 120 9
0.5% Ethanol
1 % NaOH 85 24
0.1% NaCN 77 24
20 % Ethanol

The flow rate of the sol uti on must be suffici ent to provi de good
contact wi th the carbon. Two bed vol umes of strip sol uti on per hour
i s often selected to obtai n a compromi se between sweep effici ency and
sol uti on grade . Fl ow rates of l ess than 0.5 bed vol umes per hour may
resul t i n dead spots i n the col umn whi le sol uti on flow rates i n
excess of six bed vol umes wi l l often generate l ow grade soluti on.
These parameter may differ if the geometry of the stri p col umns d iffer
greatly from a l ength to di ameter ratio of four.

11.2 .2 Metal Concentrati on

Sol uti ons may be either el ectrowon or preci pitated with zinc to
reduce the preci ous metal content pri or to recycl e back to the el
uti on col umns. El ectrowi nni ng is the conventi onal method. Zinc
preci pi tati on is used extensi vely di rectly on l each sol uti on;
recently zinc was used to preci pi tate gol d from a carbon stri p

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sol uti on. Several adv antages for the use of ZIP over electrowi nni ng
are cl aimed. These i ncl ude : 1) reduced capi tal i nvestment; 2) more
effi cient removal of preci ous metal from soluti on; and 3) l ower operati ng
costs .

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11.2.2 .1 E l ectrow i n n i ng
E l ectrow i n n i n g removes the prec i ous met a l s from the str i p sol u t i on
by the passage of cu rrent th rough an el ectrow i nn i ng ce l l . The cathode , the
anode, and an el ectro l yte are p l aced i n a corros i on res i stance con t a i ner .
These componen ts are k nown as the el ectrow i n n i ng cel l . A d i rect cur ren t
power su pp l y i s con nec ted to the anode and cathod e . As current p asses
through the ce 11 , met al i s deposi ted upon the cathode . The cel l compartment i
s of a f l ow-th roug h des i gn , e i ther l i near or rad i a l . As met a l i s removed
from the el ectrol yte , f resh str i p sol u t i on added to the cel l rep l aces t he
dep l eted sol u t i on throu gh the c i rcu l at i on pat hs prov i ded .
The cathode i s made of an extended su rf ace area cond uctor . The ext en ded
surf ace i s req u i red to mi n im i ze the cur rent dens i ty ( tot al cu r ren t to tot a l
cathode su rf ace area r at i o) . Th i s a i ds i n the tr an sf er of met a l to the surf
ace of the cathode. As t he concen tr at i on of the met al s dec reases , the eff i c
i ency of the cel l dec reases . Th i s i s demonst r ated by the f ormat i on of
hyd rogen at the cath ode at h i gh cu rrent dens i t i es . The cathod e can be of v ar
i ous des i gns . The majar req u i rement s i nc l ude : 1) h i gh su rf ace area ; 2 ) l arge
open area for depos i t i on of meta l s and fl ow of el ectro l yte ; 3) h i gh cond uct
i v ity; and 4 ) good mechan i ca l strength . A typ i cal ce ll u ses a p l ast i c
frame w i th a steel woo l p ack i ng w i th a th i ck ness of two to f ou r i nches .
The cross-sec t i on al area of the frame i s determi ned by the so1u t i on f1ow th
roug h the e l ectrow i n n i ng ce l l . I n a rect angu l ar cel l w ith l i near f l ow , t
he cathodes are su spe nd ed down the ax i s of the cell altern atel y wi t h
anodes . I n the or i g i n a l Z adr a ce ll wi th r ad i al fl ow , steel wool was l
oose l y wr apped arou nd a st a i n l ess steel spool wi th the anode p l aced concen
tr i cal l y around the cathod e . Cer t a i n ce l l s may u se a f l u i d i zed or a packed
bed of p art i c l es as the cathode .
 The anode must al so be a cond uct i ve surf ace , typ i cally fl at or curved
met al . The surf ace may be perf or ated p l ate , sheet , or screen ; a l thou gh i t
may a 1so be an extended su rf ace cond uc tor si mi l ar to the cathode . The anode
must be cor ros ion res i stant u nder h i gh ly ox i d i z i ng con d iti on i n con t act
w i t h the el ectrol yte . Sta i n l ess steel i s the typ i ca l mater i a l of con str uc t i on
, a l thoug h carbon or t i t an i um may a l so be used . I n cert a i n cell s , the
wa ll s of the cell or the cont a i ner may serve as the anode . I n a rec t an gu l ar
cell , the an ode, a perf or ated p l ate or gr i d mesh , is suspended down
the ax i s of t he cel l a l ter n ately wi t h the cathodes. Power i s tr an smi t t ed
to the el ect rodes by bu ss ba rs on each si de of the cel l. I n the Zad ra cell ,
the anode i s a cyl i nd r i cal sta i n l ess steel screen p l aced concen tr i ca l l y ou ts
i de the cathode . I n f l u i d i zed bed s , t he anode i s of ten the exter n al wa l l s
of the cel l .
The el ectrol yte , at a su it ab l e temper atu re , ent ers the el ectrow i n n i
ng cel l at a rel at i vel y h i gh concent r at i on of p rec i ous met al . The str i p sol
u t i on may be e ircu 1ated through a si ng 1e ce 11 or a ser i es of ce 11s . The
copper , mercu ry , si l v er , and gol d con tent of the sol u t i on i s depos i ted u
pon the cathode as met al s as the sol u t ion f l ows th roug h the ce l l . The sol ut
i on enter s at a concen tr at i on v aryi ng f rom 2 ,000 ppm to 50 ppm i n p rec i ous
met a l s . As the p rec i ous met a l i s str i pped f rom the carbon , the gr ade of sol
ut i on dec reases . Once the carbon i s str i pped to a res i du al gol d l evel of
approx i mate ly f i ve oz / ton , the carbon i s cons i dered fu lly str i pped . The l
ower the concentr at i on of met al i n the el ect ro lyte , t he more d if f i cu l t
met al remov a l becomes . The el ectro lyte temper atu re i s not cr it i cal as l
ong as the sol u t i on i s coo l ed be l ow the bo il i ng po i nt p r i or to pass i ng
throug h the el ectr ow i n n i ng ce ll . Where p l ast i cs are used , the sol ut i on may
req u i r e f u rt her coo l i ng to 60 C .

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 The operati on of the cell depends upan the circul ati on rate, the
cell voltage, and the sol uti on conducti vi ty. The vel oci ty of the
sol uti on i n the cel l determi nes the metal transfer characteri
stics of the cel l. Hi gher circul ati on rates withi n the cell
i ncreases mass transfer and gi ves better metal deposi ts upon the
cathode surface . The conducti vity of the el ectrol yte, the di stance
between the anode and the cathode, and the current densi ty determi ne
the cel l vol tage.
The power requi red for el ectrowi nni ng is determi ned by the cel
l vol tage and current . Approxi mately 2.5 vol ts are appl i ed
between the anode and cathode of a ce11. Current eff i ci ency wil 1
approach 100 percent at 2,000 ppm of go1d and O percent at 1 ppm of gol d.
The power requi rements are l ow; however, the capital cost of the cell
s and the power supply can often be si gnifi cant. El ectrowi nni ng
operati ng costs are mai nly operati ng l abor. The el ectrodes must be
supported wi th conducti ve contact to the el ectrowi nni ng power supply.
When suffi cient metal has been deposi ted upon the cathode, the
cathode, a rnass of steel wool and sludge, i s removed from the cell.
The cathode i s ri nsed and dri ed for further treatment . The sludge
from the bottom of the cel l s i s al so period i cal ly removed for
treatment to recover the preci ous metal.

11.2.2.2 Zi nc Preci pi tati on

The strip sol uti on can al so be treated wi th powdered zinc to
preci pi tate the preci ous metal s. The metal s of other cyani de-
metal s may al so be preci pi tated. These i ncl ude copper and mercury
. The preci pitati on i s simil ar to the ZIP process for hand l i ng
the l each l iquor. Dependi ng upon the vol ume of so1 ution to be
treated, the process may be done i n a cont i nuous or batch manner. The
sol uti on grade is much hi gher than l each sol uti on and the
ef f i c i ency of met a l remov al can be very h i gh . The l ow prec i ous met a l
con ten t of the recyc l e str i p sol u t i on can a id i n t he str i pp i ng r ate .

11.2.3 C ar bon H and l i ng

Three other car bon hand l i ng oper at i ons are al so present in most
stri pp i ng c i rcu i ts - cl ean i ng , regener at i on , and si z i ng . The object ive
of these opera t i ons i s to prep are the carbon f or f u rt her use . The carbon req
u i res a h i gh surf ace area , good mech an i cal strength , and a pa re si ze d i str
ibut i on wh ich promotes the k inet ics of adsor pt i on of the cy an i de-met a l comp l
exes . The carbon i s si zed to prevent l osses u nder oper at i ng cond i t i ons .

Two typ i cal carbon si zes for ad sorpt i on col umns are 6 mesh by 12 mesh

and 12 mesh by 30 mesh . The sma 11er the si ze , the ch eaper t he carbon and
the f aster the adsor pt i on rate . Smal l si ze al so resu l ts i n l arger car bon
usages and l osses.

Dur i ng car bon cl ean i ng , mud and mi ner al depos i ts are removed f rom the
carbon . The carbon may be c l eaned either bef are or af t er the str i pp i ng
oper at i on . The mud and mi ner a l depos i ts are removed by f i rst r i ns i ng w i t
h water to remove cy an i de and then treat i ng w ith hot ac i d sol u t i on (1 to 3
percen t hyd roch l or i c or n i tr i c ac i ds sol u t i ons ) . The ac i d treatmen t may
be cond ucted at el ev ated ternper atu res up to 190 F . Th i s i s a d angerous oper at
i on and must be perf orrned under str i ct con t ro l s wi th tr a i ned oper ator s
. The mi ner al depos i ts are of ten calc i urn cornpou nds - calci urn carbo n ate or
calc i urn su l f ate. The ac i d must be cornp at ab l e w i th the d i sso l ut i on of these
deposit s . Hyd roch l or i c ac i d or n itr i c ac i d are cornrnon choi ces . Org an i c ac i d
s shou l d be avoi ded due to the i r ef f ect upan the car bon act i v i ty . Hyd roch l
or i c ac i d i s very cor rosi ve and w i l l req u i re g l ass , p l ast i c , or f i berg l ass
const r u ct i on .
 After the carbon has been stripped of metal s and cl eaned of mi
neral deposi ts, the carbon can be reacti vated i n a k i l n at 600-800
C for 15 to 20 mi nutes under a neutral or sl i ghtly oxid i zing
atmosphere contai ni ng water vapor to restore the acti ve sites. Hi gh
carbon l osses may occur i n the k il n. The heat requi rements are hi gh.
The capi tal i nvestment i s al so hi gh. Both conventi onal horizontal
furnaces and verti cal furnaces can be used. The carbon exiti ng at the
operati ng temperature of the furnace must be cool ed to prevent oxidizi
ng. The carbon can be q uenched or sl owly cool ed in an i nert atmosphere
. To red uce the heat duty of the furnace, the carbon shoul d be dri ed
to reduce the water content.

11.2.4 Heati ng Egui pment

The stri p circuit cycl es from a cold circuit wi th col d carbon to
a hot operati ng circui t. The heati ng equi pment, a boi ler or el ectri cal
heater, heats the strip sol uti on to operati ng temperature . The hot
sol uti on heats the circui t components and rnai ntai ns the
temperature of the stri p col umn. The stri p col umn must be i nsul ated
to prevent excessi ve losses of heat. Once the circuit is hot, a
series of heat exchangers transfer heat to cool the stri p solution
leaving the col umn and heat the strip soluti on enteri ng the col umn.
Heat l osses are hi gh wi th frequent cycl es.
Package hot water or steam boil ers are commonly used to provi de
the energy necessary for heati ng the strip sol uti on. A heat exchanger
transfers heat from the steam of hot water to the strip sol uti on. The
maxi mum duty of the boi l er can be cal cul ated from start-up
condi ti ons. The duty i s the total of the heat requi rements far
start-up and the system heat l osses. The equipment, the carbon, and
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the sol uti on must be heated to operati ng temperature from ambi ent
temperature from the mass of the components, the heat

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capac i ty of the components, the temperature i ncrease requ i red, and the
time al l owed for attai ni ng operati ng
temperature . The energy requi rements are
calcul ated and then di vi ded by the time al l otted. Heat l osses from
the system must al so be i ncl uded in the duty. Losses i ncl ude
convecti on and radi ati on from the strip col umn, the pi pi ng, the
heat exchangers, the boi l er piping, and the metal concentrati on
equipment . These heat l osses can be calcul ated based upon the operati
ng temperature of the equi pment and the overal l heat transfer coeffici
ent from the i nsi de of the equi pment to the surroundi ng envi ronment .
The duty is then the sum of the heat-up duty and the heat loss duty.

11.3 SMELTING
Smelti ng the prod ucts from ei ther the Merril l -Crowe operati on
or the el ectrowi nni ng operati on i s the final step i n the producti
on of dore. The fl ux and equi pment selecti on may si gnifi cantly
affect the efficiency of this operati on. The sl udge can contai n
signifi cant quanti ties of preci ous metal. The sl udge, which is to be
smelted, contai ns the preci ous metal s wi th vari ous contami nants .
These contami nants are copper, l ead, mercury, cadmi um, and other metal s.
The sl udge wi l l al so contai n si l ica, gypsum, calcite, and other
components of the heap.

11.3.1 Merri l l -Crowe Preci pi tates

Zinc preci pi tates are produced by the Merri l l -Crowe process for
preci ous metal recovery . The zinc preci pi tates contai n up to 75
percent preci ous metal. Two methods of refi ni ng of these preci pi
tates are possi bl e. The pri nci pal method of treatment i s the
smel ti ng of fluxed preci pi tates ei ther di rectly or after aci d
treatment. The second i s through the use of chemical refi ni ng methods
to produce a high-purity gol d wi thout usi ng pyrometal l urgi cal methods.
 Prec i ou s met al i s concent r ated from the heap l each sol u t i on by
cement at i on u si ng z i nc p rec i p i t at i on . These prec i p it ates cont a i n all
met a l s p resen t i n the l each sol ut i on that are above z i nc i n the el
ectromot i ve chem i cal ser i es . These i nc l ude copper , l ead , mer cu ry, cadmi um ,
gol d , and sil ver . The prec i p i t ates a l so cont a i n any excess z inc or f il ter
a i d added to the p rocess to ai d i n recovery of the prec i p i t ates . P rec i
p i t ates f i rst prod uced upon start -up wi l l be much l ower gr ade th an

those even tu a l l y p rod uced . G r ades as l ow as 1,500 oz of prec i ous met al per

ton of prec i p i t ates are poss i b l e du r i ng start -up . As the oper ator s gain

exper i ence , prec i p itates g r ades shou l d av erage 6,000 oz / ton where f i l

ter ai d i s add ed to p r omote f i l tr at i on and 12,000 to 20,000 oz / ton

where no f i l ter aid i s ad ded .

Con ver t i ng th i s mater i al to ref i ned prec i ou s met al g i ves the oper ator
more
cont ra 1 over the cost s , i nven tory , and cu stomer . The costs i ne 1ude red
uced sal es p r i ces , l oss of i n terest wh ile await i ng assay resu lts, assay
charges , cost s of pack i ng , tran sport at ion , and i nsu r ance , and the ref i ner '
s f ees and prof its .

11.3.1.1 P retreatmen t
The prec i p itates may be treated to remove the b ase met a l s and res i du
a l z i nc . The p rec i p i t ates are f i r st washed to remove the res i d al cyan i
de con ten t . The prec i p it ates are then mi xed wi th su l f u r i c ac i d wh il e
aerea ted . Th i s d i ssol ves the excess z i nc and t he other b ase met al s such
as copg_er and

cadm...i.,u Lead and mer cury wi ll tend to rema i n w ith the prec i p it ates . The
m.
prec i p it ates are washed aga i n and dr i ed . If the prec i p i t ates cont
a i n s i gn i f i cant mer cu ry , the dr i ed prec i p itates may be retor t ed i n a merc

u ry retort at 400 C f or sever al hou rs to d r i ve of f the mer cu ry into a

water coo 1ed conden ser . The mer cury i s co 11ected u nder water to prev ent the
escape

of mer cu ry v apor . The prec i p i t ates are then ready f or sme l t i ng .

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11.3.1.2 F l u x Se l ect i on

The z i nc prec i p i tates are dr i ed pr i or to mi x i ng wit h the f l u xes .

The f l u xes are cal cu l ated based upon the an l ays i s of the prec i p i t

ates . The f ol l ow i ng must be analyzed : mo i stu re , si l i ca , z i nc , si l v er , and

gol d . The f l u x rnu st ox i d i ze the rnet all i c z i nc and oth er b ase rnet a l s and

f orm a boros il i cate g l ass sl ag . The n i ter req u i remen t i s based upan the z i nc

con ten t . The sl ag i s next bal anced between ac i d cont ent and base con tent . The

ac i d con ten t i s b ased upon the sil i ca conten t wh il e the base cont ent i s

based upon the z i nc , b ase met al , and n i ter con tent . The b a l ance i s made

by the add it i on of suf f i c i ent si l i ca . The bor ax i s add ed to make a

boros il i cate g l ass of bot h the sil i ca p resent i n the p rec i p i t ates and

the sil i ca added . Fe l dsp ar i s added as a v i scosi ty mod i f i er ( approx

imatel y 3% of the ch arge ) .

11.3.1.3 F urn ance Oper at i on

The f u rn ace i s oper ated i n a cont i n u ou s mode . Once hot , the f u rn

ace mel ts p rec i p i t ates f or sev er al hou rs . The prec i p i t ates and th e f l u x es

are we l l mi xed i n batches wh i ch are grad u a lly f ed to the f u rn ace . The f u rn

ace , e i ther gas f i red ar i nd uc t i on , i s f i ll ed w i th the mi xt u re and heated

to oper at i ng temper atu re - approx imate l y 1,150 C . As the f i rst ch arge mel t s ,

ad d it i on a l mater i al i s added to the f u r nace and me l t ed u nt i l the f u r n ace

i s f u l l . Approx i matel y h a l f of the f u rn ace i s empt i ed of sl ag and the f i l l -up

cyc l e i s repeated . Th i s cont i n ues u n t il the furn ace i s e i th er 1/3 f u ll

of prec i ou s met al , a ll of the prec i p i t ates h av e been melted , or the

furn ace i s to be

shu t down . The s 1ag above the dore i s pou red and a bo ttom pou r i s th en mad
e

wh i ch cant a i ns the bottom h a l f of the rema i n i ng s 1ag and the dore . W i th

each sl ag pou r , the bottom of the sl ag mu st be checked f ar a dore b u tton to

assu re th at the met al i s not poured from the f u rn ace . If the sl ag i s very

v i scou s ,

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the composi tion of the mi xture or temperature of the furnace must be
adjusted to reduce the viscosity . A low viscosi ty i s requi red to
prevent metal l osses to the sl ag. The sl ag may be saved for further
processi ng.

11.3.2 El ectrowi nni ng Cathodes and Sludge

Steel wool cathodes from el ectrowi nni ng are the prod uct of the
carbon adsorpti on/el ectrowi nni ng operati on. The preci ous metal
-beari ng steel wool cathodes and the sludge from the bottom of the
el ectrowi nni ng cel l s contai n up to 50 percent preci ous metal. Two
methods of refi ni ng these preci pitates are al so possi bl e as wi th
preci pi tates from zinc preci pi tati on. The pri nci pal method of
treatment i s al so di rect smel ting; however, the fl uxi ng requi rements
are greatly d ifferent. The steel wool cathodes may al so be aci d
treated pri or to smelti ng. The al ternati ve is agai n the use of chemi
cal refi ni ng to prod uce a high-puri ty gol d.
As previ ously ind icated, the di ssol ved preci ous metal is
transferred from the heap l each soluti on to the steel wool cathodes.
These cathodes contai n up to 100 oz of gol d per l b of steel wool.
Converti ng thi s materi al to refi ned gol d wi l l reduce the operati ng
costs but wi l l i ncrease capital i nvestment . A smal l furnace is
requi red. The preci ous metal content i s transferred i nto a dore .The
dore can be sold or further refi ned.

11.3.2.1 Pretreatment
The pretreatment of steel wool cathodes and el ectrowi nni ng sl udge
i s simil ar to the treatment of the zinc preci pitates . The cathodes
are treated wi th sulfuric acid to rernove the base metal s and the resi
dual i ron. Th i s d i sso 1ves the excess i ron and the other base meta 1s
such as copper. Lead and mercury wi l l remai n. The resi due is washed
and dried. If the resi due contai ns

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si gnifi cant mercury, the dri ed preci pi tates may be retorted. The preci
pi tates are then ready for smel ti ng.

11.3.2.2 Flux Sel ecti on

The dri ed cathode and sl udge resi due or the pretreated resi due are
rni xed wi th the proper fluxes and smelted. The fluxes are cal cul ated
based upon the analysi s of the preci pi tate. The fol l owi ng must be
analyzed: moi sture, si l i ca, i ron, silver, and gold. The addi tion of
the oxi dizer, ni ter, is based upon the base metal content. Si l i ca i s
added to bal ance the aci d-base content of the sl ag. Sodi um borate i s al
so added to form a borosi l i cate gl ass sl ag. Fel dspar is added as a
viscosi ty mod ifi er. The charge is wel l mi xed.

11.3.2.3 Furnace Operati on

Furnace operati on wi th cathode materi al is simil ar to that with
zinc preci pi tates. The majar difference i s the yi el d of preci ous metal
i s hi gher due to the higher grade preci pitates . The furnace i s fi ll
ed with the mi xture and heated to operati ng temperature. As the charge
mel ts, addi tional materi al is added to the furnace and melted until
the furnace i s full. If the feed materi al grade is hi gh, the furnace wi
ll contai n suffici ent dore for a pour. Low-grade feed wi 11 require
several sl ag pours to accumul ate suffi cient metal for a pour of dore.
The sl ag may be saved for further processi ng.
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