Inventors:
Freddie J. Touro - New Orleans LA
Tadeusz K. Wiewiorowski - New Orleans LA
Assignee:
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. - New Orleans LA
International Classification:
C01G 700
C22B 306
C22B 1106
Abstract:
A process for recovering gold from gold-bearing ores includes the steps of forming a slurry of ground ore and treating the ore with an oxidizing and complexing agent such as hydrogen sulfide or a sulfide salt. A chelating agent, SO. sub. 2, air, and an anion exchange resin are added to the slurry to subject the ore to a simultaneous sulfurous acid leaching and anion exchange resin adsorption step in the presence of dissolved oxygen. The gold transfers to the resin which is then removed from the slurry. The gold is then separted from the resin by chemical stripping. Alternately, the ground ore is blended with an oxidizing agent such as calcium hypochlorite and then with a gold-complexing agent. The ore blend is slurried in water, with the addition of a chelating agent, SO. sub. 2, air and an anion exchange resin to effect the leaching and adsorption of gold values.