Follow us:
Subscribe to our newsletter or print magazine

logo

  • News
  • Projects
  • Business and Finance
  • Events
  • Products and Services
  • Online Magazine
  • Videos
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Home
  • News
  • Projects
  • Business and Finance
  • Events
  • Products and Services
  • Online Magazine
  • Video
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Finalists announced for 2021 Resources Awards for Women
  • Australia’s largest energy class action filed today
  • Minerals industry acts to eliminate sexual harassment
  • Asia-Pacific FTM storage costs forecast to decline by 2025
Quotes by TradingView

Researchers enhance gold extraction process

08 Jan, 2021
156



Curtin University researchers have improved their award-winning glycine leaching technology by significantly enhancing the leaching rates for gold ore. This was achieved by using a low concentration of a strong oxidising agent known as potassium permanganate.

The research, published in the journal Hydrometallurgy and led by Professor Jacques Eksteen and Dr Elsayed Oraby both from the WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering, found that adding potassium permanganate to the process could solve the problems currently associated with leaching gold with glycine (in the absence of cyanide), such as the need for higher temperatures, glycine concentrations and oxygen addition levels.

Professor Eksteen detailed that the research team evaluated various oxidants for their new alkaline glycine gold leach system, with the most successful results observed with potassium permanganate.

“Traditionally, leaching or separating gold and other precious metals from an ore deposit or e-waste materials requires the use of cyanide – a highly toxic chemical compound that is known to have detrimental effects to the environment and to the human body,” Professor Eksteen shared.

“Industrially, it is very expensive to detoxify cyanide, but it still does not eliminate the risks associated with transporting, handling and processing the chemical.”

Professor Eksteen noted that glycine is naturally produced by the human body and it is essential for life, while cyanide on the other hand is dangerous for life, it destroys life.

“Permanganate and glycine partially decompose to form insoluble manganese dioxide, insoluble calcium oxalate, and nitrogen all of which are naturally occurring, low-toxicity chemical compounds. Whereas cyanide retains its toxicity, even in the waste solution of the extraction process,” he said.

“With low concentrations of potassium permanganate being added to the alkaline glycine system, we were able to leach 85.1 per cent of gold from the ore deposit (similar to the extraction by cyanidation) at ambient temperature and using a substance known as a benign reagent, which in industry standards is quite an achievement.”

Dr Elsayed Oraby commented that the new process builds on Curtin’s work in this space, which has been ongoing for the past eight years.

“Researchers at Curtin University have spent years developing a new leaching process and our work broadens the use of this patented technology, making it more suitable for extracting gold deposits,” Dr Oraby said.

“We believe this new process will bring many benefits to gold extraction industries, which from an environmental point of view, is a much friendlier extraction method.”

The Curtin team is currently working with minerals industry partner, Mining and Process Solutions Pty Ltd (MPS) to commercialise the new process.

The full paper is titled, “Gold leaching from oxide ores in alkaline glycine solutions in the presence of permanganate.”

Related Articles

ISQ commits $500M to build Energy Transition Platform in Australia

Collie sheds on track for heritage listing

Clean energy projects to lower emissions and create jobs

Northern Minerals receives assay results from latest exploration drilling program

all news all projects

Latest Posts

  • Latest News
  • Latest Projects
  • Tenders
21 Jan

Finalists announced for 2021 Resources Awards for Women

20 Jan

Australia’s largest energy class action filed today

20 Jan

Minerals industry acts to eliminate sexual harassment

19 Jan

Asia-Pacific FTM storage costs forecast to decline by 2025

19 Jan

Clean energy projects to lower emissions and create jobs

21 Jan

Woodside inks hydrogen MOU with Tasmanian Government

19 Jan

Collie sheds on track for heritage listing

19 Jan

Northern Minerals receives assay results from latest exploration drilling program

19 Jan

Horizon launches 50,000m exploration program

18 Jan

New Century delivers milestone 500,000th tonne of zinc concentrate

28 Feb 2022

Operational Telecommunications Equipment Infrastructure and Services

Not Stated   

New Military School and Infrastructure

Not Stated   

Navantia SEA 5000 Bid Australian Industry Opportunities

See All Tenders

Online Magazine

    Current Magazine Cover
  • Login
  • Subscribe

Subscribe

Subscribe to our email newsletter or print magazine.

Our Titles

  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
© Sage Media Group 2021 All Rights Reserved.
×
Authorization
  • Registration
 This feature has been disabled
 This feature has been disabled until further notice, however you may still register
×
Registration
  • Autorization
Register
* All fields required