• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.243-250
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to find out the possibility of applying microwave-hypochlorous acid leaching to effectively leaching Au in hydrothermal minerals on board. The comparative leaching experiment were confirmed that the leaching rate of Au with(T1)/with out(T2) of microwave nitric acid leaching. In addition, the leaching rate of Au on the conventional leaching by mechanical agitation(T3) and microwave leaching was compared. The result of microwave nitric acid leaching(solid-liquid ratio; 10%, leaching temperature; 90 ℃, leaching time; 20 min) confined that the metal leaching rate was high in the order of As>Pb>Cu>Fe>Zn, and the content of Au in the leaching residue was increased from 33.77 g/ton to 60.02 g/ton. As a result of the comparative leaching experiment using a chloride solvent, the dissolution rate of Au was high in the order of T1(61.10%)>T3(53.30%)>T2(17.30%). Therefore, chloride, which can be manufactured using seawater and that can be recycled by collecting chlorine gas generated in the leaching process, is expected to be an optimal solvent for Au leaching. In addition, the application of microwaves is believed to be effective in terms of time, efficiency and energy.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of eco-friendly/efficient recovery of valuable resources, such as Au from mine tailings, which are environmental pollutants in the Mongolian mine sector. For this purpose, this study selected 4 place of mine tailings of the Mongolian mines sector and carried out mineralogy evaluation of the valuable resources in the tailings. In this study, flotation was performed to separate and concentrate valuable resources in the tailings. Microwave nitric acid leaching was used to leach the valuable resources contained in the sample and to improve the Au grade. Chloride leaching attempted to leach Au from the leaching residues. XRD analysis of the tailings samples showed that most of the samples consisted of silicate minerals. As a result of confirming the content of the element through XRF analysis, the SiO₂ content was very high, the Fe₂O₃ content was 2.32-4.23%, and the content of PbO, CuO and ZnO components were all within 2%. As a result of flotation for the tailings samples, the recovery of Au was the highest in Bayanairag sample (95.38%). As a result of microwave nitric solution experiment on Au concentrate sample obtained by flotation, the content of Au in the microwave nitrate leaching residue increased by 12.15% from 192.72 g/ton to 216.14g/ton in Khamo sample, the highest increase was 57.58% in Bayanairag sample. TCLP tests on tailings generated after flotation showed dissolution characteristics within EPA. Chloride leaching test was performed to recover Au from solid residues. The leaching rate was 87.43-89.35% within 10 minutes. For Khamo sample, 100% Au was leached after 60 minutes of leaching time. Therefore, in order to process the tailings continuously generated in Mongolia, applying the same process as the present study is expected to effectively recover the valuable resources contained in the tailings.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.259-266
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• 2014

This study was carried out to find an environmental friendly and effective way to leach Au and Ag from scrap of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) using sodium-hypochlorite solution. In an EDS analysis, valuable metals such as Cu, Sn, Sb, Al, Ni, Pb and Au were all found in PCBs. The highest leaching rates obtained were 1% of pulp density with a chlorine:hypochlorite of 2:1 and a concentration of NaCl at 2M. The highest Au recovery was observed with the addition of sodium metabisulfite to make a 3M solution. It is confirmed that the leaching agent (chlorine-hypochlorite) could effectively leach Au and Ag from Printed Circuit Boards (scrap parts) and the additive reagent sodium metabisulfite could easily precipitate Au from the chlorine-hypochlorite solution.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.401-411
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• 2014

In order to enhance the Au Ag leach rate, a mechanochemical activation process and a mixed thiourea-thiocyanate solution has been applied to Au concentrate. To achieve mechanochemical activation, the Au concentrate was mechanically ground using a dry and a wet process. The results of a particle size distribution analysis and an XRD analysis, average particle size and crystallite size were much smaller in the dry-sample than in the concentrate sample. As well the size was smaller in the wet-sample than in the dry-sample. In SEM and XRD analysis, the amorphization effect was observed in the wet-sample due to mechanochemical activation. Au Ag leaching experiments were carried out with a thiourea solution, a thiocyanate solution and a mixed thiourea-thiocyanate solution. The Au Ag leach rate was much greater in the dry-ground-sample than in the concentrate sample, and the leach rate was greater in the wet-ground-sample than in the dry-sample. The Au Ag leach rate was much greater in the thiocyanate solution than in the thiourea solution, and the leaching rate was much greater in the mixed thiourea-thiocyanate solution than in the thiocyanate solution. Up to a 99% leach rate for Au Ag were only achieved in the wet-sample using the mixed thiourea-thiocyanate leaching solution.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.73-83
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• 2014

In order to investigate selective phase transformations and to determine the maximum Au leaching factors from microwave treated Au-bearing complex sulfides, a microscope, SEM-EDS analysis, and thiocyanate leaching tests were performed. When the Au-bearing complex sulfides were exposed to microwave heating, increasing the microwave exposure time increased temperature and decreased weight. Arsenopyrite was first selectively transformed to hematite, which formed a concentric rim structure. In this hematite, oxygen and carbon was detected and always showed high iron content and low arsenic content due to arcing and oxidation from microwave heating. The results of the leaching test using microwave treated sample showed that the maximum Au leaching parameters was reached with 0.5 g concentration thiocyanate, 2.0 M hydrochloric acid, 0.3 M copper sulfate and leaching temperature at$60^{\circ}C$. Under the maximum Au leaching conditions, 59% to 96.69% of Au was leached from the microwave treated samples, whereas only 24.53% to 92% of the Au was leached from the untreated samples.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.115-124
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• 2014

In order to leach Au and Ag from gold-silver bearing sulfide concentrate, the sulfide concentrate was ground in a ball mill for a dry pre-treatment and a wet pre-treatment process. Mineralogical studies and thiourea leaching experiments were carried out with the pre-treated sulfide concentrate. The results of the pre-treatment with the concentrate samples showed the mean particle size and iso-electrical potential was smaller in the dry pre-treatment sample than in the concentrate sample, and the contents was lower in the wet pre-treatment sample than in the dry pre-treatment sample. In XRD analysis, amorphous properties were only shown in the wet pretreatment sample. The results of the concentrate sample leaching experiments showed that the best Au, Ag leaching parameters were when the addition of thiourea was at a 1.0 g concentration, ferric sulfate was 1.0 M, sulfuric acid was 2.0 M and the leaching temperature was at $60^{\circ}C$. The Au, Ag leaching rate was always much greater and faster with the wet pre-treatment samples than with the dry pre-treatment samples. Accordingly, it is expected that more Au, Ag can be leached in an eco-friendly methodology using wet pre-treatment. The pre-treatment could be improved with an optimized grinding additive reagent and through researching grinding time in future non-cyanide processes.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.595-604
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was simply to obtain gold through a microwave-nitric acid experiment of invisible gold concentrate with the use of filter paper. For the purpose, this study conducted a microwave-nitric acid leaching experiment and examined nitric acid concentration. As a result of the experiment, this study discovered that Fe, Te and Ag were completely leached in the leaching solution whereas Au was not determined in all of the nitric acid conditions. The leaching solution was filtered with three filter papers and then these filter papers were analyzed with SEM/EDS. As a result of the EDS analysis, Au was detected in all of the surface and cross-section of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd filter papers. As the three filter papers containing solid-residue were analysed in the lead-fire assay, gold particles were found in all of the nitric acid conditions. In the lead-fire assay, maximum gold(452.50g/t) was recovered when nitric acid concentration was 6M and microwave leaching time was 12mins.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.123-130
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• 2012

Leaching experiments of gold and silver from roasted concentrate were carried out using a chlorine-hypochlorite solution. The leaching rate of gold was 75% at 1.5:1 ratio of chlorine and hypochlorite and increased to 81% with adding 1 M NaCl. However, at 1% pulp density and at $65^{\circ}C$, the leaching rates of Au were close to 100%. XRD analysis identified quartz in the solid residues after digestion of roasted concentrate with aqua regia or chlorine-hypochloride leaching solution. This suggests that the gold may not be leached out of the quartz in aqua regia or chlorine-hypochlorite solution. In order to leach the gold from the quartz, the concentrate will have to be pre-treated through ultra-fine grinding or treated with stronger oxidative agents.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.183-196
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• 2020

This study aimed to recover native gold from the concentrate using microwave-nitric acid leaching and magnetic/hydro separation experiments. The insoluble-residue was filtered from leaching solution through microwave-nitric acid leaching experiment. As a result of the atomic absorption spectrometer(AAS) analysis of the filtered leaching solution, it was discovered that Au content was not eluted at all and it was observed from the back scattered electron(BSE) image that native gold was liberated in the insoluble-residue. When magnetic/hydro separation experiments were applied for the insoluble-residue, magnetic and non magnetic minerals were separtated from insoluble-residue. Magnetite was recovered from the magnetic minerals and as a result of applying the hydro separation experiment again for the non-magnetic mineral, native gold was recovered. The native gold was identified through the X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis and BSE image.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.113-122
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• 2016

This study aims to improve the recovery of gold and silver by removing hematite from gold ore of an oxidation zone with ammonia solution. Quartz, hematite and muscovite were present in the oxidation zone, while hematite was hydrogenous. As a result of performing an ammonia leaching test on variables, it is found that the maximum Fe leaching parameter was $-45{\mu}m$ particle size, 1.0 M sulfuric acid concentration, 5.0 g/l ammonium sulfate concentration and 2.0 M hydrogen peroxide concentration. It is also confirmed that goethite was precipitated and formed from that ammonia elution. As the amount of Fe-removal was increased in a solid-residue, the recovery of Au and Ag were increased, too.