A fundamental study to better understand how blinding agents interact with particle surfaces in preg-robbing carbonaceous gold systems using electrochemical techniques

One of the most challenging issues in the gold mining industry comes from the carbonaceous ore components adsorbing gold ion complexes, resulting in up to 90% gold loss during cyanide leaching process. The addition of chemical reagents as blinding agents is one of the most promising methods to blind the organic carbon content of ore materials to increase the gold recovery from carbonaceous preg-robbing ores. This study aims to investigate the effect of various blinding agents on the main gold-containing ore components such as carbon, gold and pyrite using fundamental electrochemical techniques. This novel approach employs cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge tests to better understand the adsorption of various blinding agents on the individual ore components. The project helps Goldcorp Inc. find a way to mitigate the preg-robbing issue the company is dealing with in some of their operating sites and increase gold recovery.

Faculty Supervisor:

Edouard Asselin

Student:

Pooya Hosseini-Benhangi

Partner:

Goldcorp Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Mining and quarrying

University:

Program: