Carbon Slurry Cyanidation: A Method for Gold Recovery from Copper Tailing

Introduction

In the mining industry, the efficient recovery of valuable metals from tailings is of great significance for resource utilization and environmental protection. This case study focuses on a copper mine in Central Asia, where the carbon-in-pulp (CIP) cyanidation process was applied to copper flotation tailings for gold recovery.

Flotation Proces

The copper flotation tailings were first processed. Through the flotation process, a flotation concentrate with a gold content of 48.50 g/t and a copper content of 8.45% was obtained. After flotation, the tailings had a copper content of 0.21%, among which the cyanide-leachable copper content was 0.12%.

CIP Cyanidation Process

The flotation tailings were then subjected to direct carbon-in-pulp cyanidation. In this process, Sodium cyanide consumption was 3.1 kg/t. The gold leaching rate reached 74.71%. The overall recovery rate of gold through the combination of flotation and leaching was 88.26%, and the copper recovery rate was 62.16%.

Results and Benefits

The application of the CIP cyanidation process to copper tailings in this case has achieved remarkable results. Firstly, it has effectively recovered gold from the tailings, increasing the overall gold production of the mine. Secondly, the process has also improved the utilization rate of copper resources, reducing the waste of valuable metals. In addition, compared with some traditional tailings treatment methods, this process has relatively low energy consumption and simple operation, which is conducive to cost control and environmental protection.

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates that the carbon-in-pulp cyanidation process is a feasible and effective method for recovering gold from copper tailings. By optimizing the process flow and parameters, the recovery rate of valuable metals can be further improved, providing a reference for similar mines in resource recovery and sustainable development.s