Gold recovery via chloride volatilization****

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The metals and minerals industries are heavily dependent on water, the truly precious resource for day-to-day life. In the 2018 Global Risks Report by the World Economic Forum, water crisis is ranked fifth among the global risks in terms of the impact. **In gold processing plants, water is extensively used to treat low grade ores by cyanide leaching, which is a common practice for extracting gold. For instance, the annual water consumption for gold processing plants over the period of 1991-2006 was 224,000-1,783,000 lit/kg of gold. The slurry tailings of the process are stockpiled in tailing ponds where the stored water accounts for the largest portion of unavailable water in the mining process. Previous tailings dam failures and cyanide transport accidents that have occurred since 1995 have led to increased public scrutiny. **With the final goal of developing an alternative process for extracting gold with lower water consumption, the current project aims to investigate gold recovery using a chlorination process. The process is based on gold volatilization at high temperatures, 300-1100°C, using chloride salts. The ores from Red Lake, one of Goldcorp's mines in Ontario, will be mixed with various chloride salts and treated at high temperatures. This project will provide a path towards reducing both water consumption and environmental impacts of the gold extraction. **The project will be performed in a close collaboration with Goldcorp. Considering Goldcorp's position as one of the industry leaders in gold mining and extraction and its commitment to water stewardship, Goldcorp is the ideal partner for developing and implementing this project. **The principal investigator has significant relevant experience in high temperature extraction and refining of metals and alloys. The fundamental knowledge at UBC combined with Goldcorp's industrial expertise will guarantee the feasibility and the practical relevance of the project. ************