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Microwave Pyrolysis Pretreatment of High Arsenic Refractory Gold Sulfide Concentrates in Nitrogen Atmosphere: Process Optimization and Mechanism Study

  • New and Novel Laboratory and Pilot Techniques for Pyrometallurgy
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Abstract

The process optimization and mechanism of microwave pyrolysis in a nitrogen atmosphere were studied to improve the gold leaching rate for high-arsenic-refractory gold sulfide resources, mainly containing minerals of elemental sulfur, dense pyrite, and arsenopyrite. The decomposability was evaluated using thermodynamic and thermogravimetric analyses. Faster microwave heating characteristics were confirmed under a nitrogen atmosphere. The main factors affecting microwave pyrolysis were pyrolysis temperature, time, and protective nitrogen temperature. The optimum conditions for the four variables were determined to remove 97.96% of As and 50.43% of S. The arsenopyrite first formed pyrite through a shrinking nuclear process in the presence of sulfur. The decomposition of pyrite and pyrrhotite is random. Many pores and cracks are formed to expose the locked gold for leaching. The gold leaching rate reached 95.36% with sodium cyanide and a small amount of lead nitrate; this rate was much higher than that observed before pretreatment (38.65%).

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51604030), National Key R&D Program of China (Nos. 2019YFC1908301, 2018YFC1900303, and 2019YFC1908305), and the Research Fund of the BGRIMM Group (No. 02-1915).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, People’s Republic of China

    Shufeng Ruan, Chengyan Wang & Yongqiang Chen

  2. General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Technology Group, Beijing, 100160, People’s Republic of China

    Shufeng Ruan, Dingfan Qiu, Xiaowu Jie, Yonglu Zhang & Zhichao Yao

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  1. Shufeng Ruan
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  2. Dingfan Qiu
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  3. Chengyan Wang
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Correspondence to Shufeng Ruan, Chengyan Wang or Yongqiang Chen.

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Ruan, S., Qiu, D., Wang, C. et al. Microwave Pyrolysis Pretreatment of High Arsenic Refractory Gold Sulfide Concentrates in Nitrogen Atmosphere: Process Optimization and Mechanism Study. JOM 74, 167–177 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-021-05000-6

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