Amax Incorporated

Freeport Minerals Company

Peter H Yu

Ranko P Crnojevich

Edward I Wiewiorowski

Nandkumar Bakshani

A gold recovery pretreatment process is disclosed in which the gold content is more completely extracted from refractory sulfidic ores which contain large quantities of metal carbonates such as dolomite than occurs in traditional gold extraction methods. The process includes treating the ore in an autoclave at elevated temperature and oxygen overpressure conditions in the presence of soda ash or other alkaline materials. The autoclaving of the slurried ore is performed for a sufficient amount of time to oxidize the sulfidic compounds in the ore. The oxidized ore is then more amenable to subsequent conventional gold extraction techniques.

Method for the recovery of gold using autoclaving

Selenium is precipitated from solutions containing at least one metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt, copper, iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, chromium and cadmium by adding chromous sulfate to the solution to precipitate selenium therefrom.

Production of metals with low selenium contents

Selenium is precipitated from solutions or slurries containing nonferrous metals, particularly nickel by contacting the solution or slurries with a semimetallic chromous precipitant of the nonferrous metal, particularly nickel, which has a nonferrous metal to chromium ratio between about 10:1 and about 200:1 and which has a metallic content between about 50% and about 90%. The semimetallic chromous precipitant of the nonferrous metal is prepared by hydrogen reducing a solution of the nonferrous metal or slurries containing chromous salts in amount to provide the aforementioned nickel to chromium ratios.

Production of nonferrous metals with low selenium contents

A method is provided for the recovery of cobalt from nickel solutions, wherein cobalt is separated from said solution as a precipitate containing cobaltic hydroxide precipitate and also containing nickel, the method comprising dissolving the precipitate for the subsequent recovery of cobalt therefrom by reducing trivalent metal in said precipitate to the divalent state. This is achieved by forming an aqueous slurry of said precipitate acidified with sulfuric acid to a pH ranging from about 0.1 to 2, subjecting the precipitate of said aqueous slurry to electrolytic reduction at the cathode of an electrolytic cell having an insoluble anode, said precipitate being isolated from said anode during said electrolytic reduction and continuing the electrolytic reduction of said precipitate from the trivalent to the divalent state and effect the dissolution thereof.

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Harvey, LA, United States of America

Peter H Yu