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Merrill–Crowe Process
The Merrill–Crowe Process is a separation technique for removing gold from the solution obtained by the cyanide leaching of gold ores. It is an improvement of the MacArthur-Forrest process, where an additional vacuum is managed to remove air in the solution (invention of Crowe), and zinc dust is used instead of zinc shavings (improvement of Merrill). The solution is separated from the ore by methods such as filtration (e.g. vertical leaf type clarifier filters) and counter current decantation (CCD). Afterwards a very clear solution is achieved by using pre-coated filters applying diatomaceous earth. Oxygen is then removed by passing the solution through a vacuum de-aeration column. Zinc dust is added to the clarified, de-aerated solution which precipitates the gold; zinc having a higher affinity for the cyanide ion than gold. Other precious metals, silver, and base metals, like copper, will also precipitate, if present. Automated membrane filtration offers a cost savings alter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal in a pure form. Chemically, gold is a transition metal and a group 11 element. It is one of the least reactive chemical elements and is solid under standard conditions. Gold often occurs in free elemental ( native state), as nuggets or grains, in rocks, veins, and alluvial deposits. It occurs in a solid solution series with the native element silver (as electrum), naturally alloyed with other metals like copper and palladium, and mineral inclusions such as within pyrite. Less commonly, it occurs in minerals as gold compounds, often with tellurium (gold tellurides). Gold is resistant to most acids, though it does dissolve in aqua regia (a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid), forming a soluble tetrachloroaurate anion. Gold is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
