Gold CIP Process

The Gold CIP (Carbon-in-Pulp) process is a method that utilizes activated carbon for adsorption during the oxidation leaching process, which enhances the gold leaching rate. The process consists of several stages, including crushing, grinding, leaching pretreatment, leaching, activated carbon adsorption, gold-loaded carbon desorption and electrolysis, and tailings water recycling.

• Crushing & Grinding: The gold ore is initially crushed and finely ground to achieve a particle size suitable for subsequent gold extraction processes.
• Leaching: Cyanide is typically added to the slurry as a leaching agent to dissolve the gold from the ore.
• Adsorption: Activated carbon is introduced into the slurry to selectively absorb the gold particles.
• Carbon Separation: The slurry, containing gold-loaded carbon particles, undergoes separation processes such as screening or filtration to separate the carbon from the slurry.
• Elution: Chemical cleaning agents, often a hot caustic or cyanide solution, are used to strip the adsorbed gold from the carbon particles.
• Electrolysis: An electric current is applied, causing the gold to be electrochemically deposited onto the cathode, resulting in the formation of solid metallic gold.
• Smelting: The gold deposited on the cathode is usually melted and refined through smelting to produce bullion or other desired forms.
• Regeneration: Spent carbon, which has lost its adsorption capacity, is regenerated by heating it to high temperatures, usually in a kiln or furnace, to remove impurities and restore its ability to adsorb gold.
• Tailings Treatment: The remaining slurry, known as tailings, contains various chemicals or minerals and is typically stored in tailings ponds for further management, reducing its environmental impact.
• This Gold CIP process allows for effective extraction and recovery of gold from the ore, maximizing its value while minimizing the environmental impact.

CIP Gold Processing Plant

The CIP (Carbon-in-Pulp) Gold Processing Plant is a comprehensive plant for the extraction and recovery of gold from ore. Here is a breakdown of the main processes involved:

1. Feeding + Crushing System:
   The raw gold ore is fed into the hopper using a trough feeder and excavator. It is then evenly sent into a jaw crusher to crush the material to a size below 60mm. The output from the jaw crusher is transported to a secondary fine jaw crusher via a belt conveyor, where the material is further crushed to less than 20mm. The output material is then conveyed to a vibrating screen, and material larger than 20mm is sent back to the fine jaw crusher for additional crushing. Material smaller than 20mm is transported to the hopper using an electromagnetic vibrating feeder and evenly fed into a ball mill.
2. Grinding System:
   The fine ore is ground in ball mills to a powder, releasing the gold contained within the rocks. The resulting material is then sent to a spiral classifier for classification. Any large-grained minerals are returned to the ball mill for re-grinding, ensuring that at least 80% of the final output is smaller than 200 mesh (0.074mm).
3. Leaching Pretreatment:
   After grinding and classification, the fine powder enters a slurry tank and is pumped to a thickener using a sand pump. Before entering the thickener, a safety screen pre-screens the pulp to remove coarse particles. The pulp then enters the inside of the thickener, where a flocculant is added to accelerate sedimentation. The overflow water from the thickener goes into a sedimentation tank, and the clarified water can be recycled.
4. Leaching:
   The underflow from the thickener is mixed in a stirred pulp barrel and then transferred to a double impeller leaching tank using a sand pump. Sodium cyanide is added to initiate the leaching process.
5. Activated Carbon Adsorption Treatment:
   After the gold is leached and dissolved in the solution, the slurry flows into a double-impeller stirring adsorption tank containing activated carbon. The activated carbon adsorbs the gold from the pulp, becoming gold-loaded carbon which is then extracted using a carbon extractor.
6. Desorption and Electrolysis of Gold-Loaded Carbon:
   The gold-loaded carbon is separated using a vibrating screen, and the carbon enters a normal temperature and pressure desorption electrolysis system. After electrolysis, gold mud is obtained. The gold mud is then dried in an oven, and finally, the dried gold mud is smelted using a Gold Furnace to produce gold bars.
7. Recycling of Gold-Loaded Carbon:
   The gold-loaded carbon is typically dried in a drying oven and reused.
8. Tailings Water Recovery System:
   The tailings from the adsorption stirring tank are screened using a vibrating screen to remove carbon. The material passing through the screen enters a lower tank/pond and is then pumped to a large conical pool or tank using a mud pump. The slurry is sent to a filter press for pressure filtration and recovery of tailings water using a filter pump.

The CIP Gold Processing Plant has several advantages, including fast absorption, high recovery rate, low consumption, low investment cost, and it can operate at high temperatures and pressures. The plant is designed based on the specific requirements and conditions of the customer’s mine, ensuring efficiency and optimal gold recovery.