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Adsorption of Gold-Thiourea Complex on Activated

Carbon

Ana M. Soto & R u t h A. Machuca


Mining Engineering Department, Universidad de Chile, Beaucheff 850, Casilla 2777
Santiago, Chile

(Received 14 December 1987; revised version received 26 May 1988; accepted


8 June 1988)

ABSTRACT

The utlsorption kinetics of the gold-thiourea complex on uctiutited churcoul


wus studied. Experimental runs were made in u butch reactor at constunt
temperuturrs und stirred by u magnetic system. Samples were tuken ut
diffircwtpcJriodsqf'timeuntl were unulyzed ,fbrgold in ti Perkiti- Elmer Model
360 utomic uhsorption spectrophotometer. The sumples were prepared with
sjnthetic solution of gold with thioureu, sulfuric ucid, und iron sulfiite with
concentrations similur to the ones in the leaching process. The gold urisorbed
on uctiouted churcoul wus 99':/;at 20C. The adsorption behavior HUS
charucterized by the Freundlich model at difjkrent temperatures (20"C,35 C
und 50C).

K r j * wortls: adsorption, activated charcoal, gold, thiourea, kinetics, gold


thiourea complex.

I INTRODUCTION

The metallurgical processes for gold and silver recovery existing at present are
mainly based upon the use of anionic soluble ions from these metals, especially
cyanide complexes. Detailed studies including the use of cationic species appeared in
the 196Os, and the first species that had industrial importance were the gold-
thiourea (Au(CS(NH,),), species.' Nevertheless, its use has not received attention
due to economic considerations. The first studies on acid dissolutions were carried
out by Plaksin & Kozhukhova in 1941,, followed by the research of P. W. Preisler
& L. Rerger (1947).3 From that date on, the application of thiourea began to
acquire an increasing interest in the industrial level, with the Soviet Union and
219
J . Chrtn. Tech. Biort~chrlol.0268-2575/89/$03.50 0 1989 Society of Chemical Industry. Printed in Great
Britain
220 A . M .Soto, R . A . Machuca

South Africa being the leading countries in these studies. Thiourea is an organic
compound with crystals that produce stable aqueous solution at acidic conditions.
These species react with transition metal ions, thus obtaining stable cationic
complexes. The reaction can be described by the following equation.
BX
Me+ + X ( T h ) $ ( M e ( T h ) X ) +

where
Me =metal
n + =state of oxidation
Th = thiourea
X =coordination number
BX =constant of formation
The application of activated charcoal in gold and silver adsorption processes was
studied extensively for anionic complexes of these metal^.^ The use of charcoal is an
alternative system to the use of zinc as a gold and silver precipitating agent.5
At present there is an increasing interest in the use of thiourea on the leaching
process for ores containing gold, and the main objective of this research is to study
the adsorption kinetic parameters of these cationic complexes on activated
charcoal.

2 EXPERIMENTAL WORK

The activated charcoal employed in this experimental work obtained from NORIT
had a particle size between 10 and 28 Tyler mesh. The gold synthetic solutions were
prepared with initial concentration between 10 and 15 ppm. The concentrations of
thiourea, H 2 S 0 4and Fe,(SO,), were the best values found in the leaching process;
they were 1000 ppm, 1 % and 5 %, respectively.
Experimental tests were carried out at constant temperature in a batch reactor,
stirred with a magnetic bar. Samples were taken at different periods oftime and were
analyzed for gold in a Perkin-Elmer Model 360 atomic absorption
spectrophotometer.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Figure 1 shows the variation in the amount of gold adsorbed in time. From Fig. 1 we
can conclude that, in the experimental work, gold recovery on activated charcoal is
x,.
about 99 There is a very little difference in the amount of gold adsorbed at 20C
50C and 70C.
Figure 2 shows the adsorption kinetics of gold in the presence of different
concentrations of thiourea. It is possible to conclude that increasing the
concentration of thiourea increases the rate of the adsorption process.
Figure 3 shows typical adsorption isotherms at various temperatures for the
Adsorption of gold-thiourea complex on activated carbon 22 1

10
- 30
Equilibrium time (min)

Fig. 1. Kinetics of adsorption of gold-thiourea complex on activated charcoal (20C).

0
0
r t
A,

0 1000 pprn of thiourea


0 400 ppm of thiourea

t
10 40 60
Equilibrium time (min)
Fig. 2. Effect of the concentration of thiourea in the kinetics of the adsorption process.

gold-thiourea complex. The adsorption isotherm can be mathematically adjusted


by means of the Freundlich equation:
xlm = kc''"
where
.u/m =amount of gold adsorbed per gram of activated charcoal
k and n = constants
c = gold concentrations at equilibrium
222

5.
E

go
7 ~~

40 80 170 1
Equilil)riuin concentration of Goid (my L )

Fig. 3. Effect of temperature o n the ddsorption isotherms

1 4-.

r
r

X
0
9 12-

1 .o-.
.
0 2O0C

x
35%

50C

Figure 4 shows the adsorption isotherm for gold-thiourea on activated charcoal


plotted according to the Freundlich model. It is possible to conclude that the
isotherms obtained can be fitted to the Freundlich equation.
223

REFERENCES

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Rrnd. A d . Sci. U R S S , 31 (1943) 6 7 1 4 .
3. Preisler, P. W. & Berger, L., Oxidation-Reduction potentials of thiol-dithio systems:
thiourea-formamidine disulfide. J . Am. C h r m . Soc., 69 322-5.
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47-54.
5. Gross. S. J . & Scott, J . W., Prrcipiturion q / Gold und Siloer j r o m Cyunidr Solutions on
Churcotd. (Technical paper N o 378). US Bureau of Mines (1927) pp. 1-22.
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Mitt. Mrtdl., 7 3 4 ) (1974) 67-76.
7. Cho, E. & Dixon, S., The kinetics of gold cyanide adsorption on activated charcoal.
Mrtull. Truns., B, (1979) 185-9.
8. Siegel. E. A. & Soto, A. M., Microscopic observations on adsorption of metallic gold on
activated carbon. Mineral processing and extractive metallurgy. Inst. Mining Metull.
Truns. C. 93 (1984) C 9 W 9 2 .

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