• 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.

• 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 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.

• 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.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.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.32 no.3
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• pp.185-200
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• 2019

This study aimed to liberate gold from invisible gold concentrate (Au = 1,840.00 g/t) through microwave nitric acid leaching experiments. For the purpose, this study conducted microwave-nitric acid leaching experiments and examined nitric acid concentration effect, microwave leaching time effect and sample addition effect. The results of the experiments were as follows: Au (gold) contents were not detected in all of the microwave leaching conditions. In the insoluble-residue, weight loss rate tended to decrease as the nitric acid concentration, microwave leaching time and sample addition increased. In an XRD analysis with solid-residue, it was suggested that gypsum and anglesite were formed due to dissolution of calcite and galena by nitric acid solution. When a fire assay was carried out with insoluble-residue, it was discovered that gold contents of the solid-residue were 1.3 (Au = 2,464.70 g/t) and 28.8 (52,952.80 g/t) times more than those of concentrate. But in the gold contents recovered, a severe gold nugget effect appeared. It is expected that the gold nugget effect will decrease if a sampling method of concentrate is improved in the microwave-nitric acid leaching experiments and filtering paper with smaller pore size is used for leaching solution and burned filter paper is used for sampling in lead-fire assay.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.9-15
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• 2010

Domestic gold mine tailings, generally, contain a lot of non-metallic silica and clay minerals. These minerals can be separated from the tailings by various physical separation methods and used as raw materials for cements and ceramic products. In these physical separation procedures, metallic complex sulfides, in which Au and metallic constituents such as Pb, As and Fe were concentrated, were obtained as a by-product. These metallic constituents should be removed or separated from the by-product to extract Au efficiently. In this work, removal and separation processes of Pb, As, and Fe from the by-product were investigated. Pb was removed to under 3% by using alkaline oxidative leaching at the leaching condition of $120^{\circ}C$, 2M NaOH, 100psi $Po_2$, 250r.p.m., 4 wt.% solid and 30 min. leaching time. The leached residue was roasted and separated magnetically to obtain a non-magnetic product contained <0.2% As, <3% Fe and high concentrated Au more than 8,000 ppm.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.29-35
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• 2001

This study was carried out to recover gold, silver and valuable metals from the printed circuit boards (PCBs) of waste computers. PCBs samples were crushed under 1 mm by a shredder and separated into 30% conducting and loft nonconducting materials by an electrostatic separator. The conducting materials contained valuable metals which were then used as feed materials for magnetic separation. 42% of magnetic materials from the conducting materials was removed by magnetic separation as nonvaluable materials and the others, 58% of non magnetic materials, was used as leaching samples containing 0.227 mg/g Au and 0.697 mg/g Ag. Using the materials of leaching from magnetic separation, more than 95% of copper, iron, zinc, nickel and aluminium was dissolved in 2.0M sulfuric acid solution, added with 0.2M hydrogen peroxide at $85^{\circ}C$. Au and Ag were not extracted in this solution. On the other hand, more than 95% of gold and 100% of silver were leached by the selective leaching with a mixed solvent (0.2M($NH_4$)$_2$$S_2$$O_3$,0.02M $CuSO_4$,0.4M $NH_4$OH). Finally, the residues were reacted with a NaCl solution to leach Pb whereas sulfuric acid was used to leach Sn. Recoveries reached 95% and 98% in solution, respectively.