Gold recovery via chloride volatilization

金属和矿产行业严重依赖水，这是日常生活中真正宝贵的资源。在世界经济论坛发布的《2018年全球风险报告》中，水危机的影响在全球风险中排名第五。在黄金加工厂，氰化浸出处理低品位矿石被广泛使用，这是提金的一种常见做法。例如，在1991-2006年期间，黄金加工厂的年用水量为每公斤黄金224,000-1,783,000升。该过程的泥浆尾矿储存在尾矿池中，在采矿过程中，储存的水占不可用水的最大部分。自1995年以来，之前发生的尾矿坝坍塌和氰化物运输事故导致了更多的公众监督。该项目的最终目标是开发一种耗水量更低的黄金提取替代工艺，目前的项目旨在研究使用氯化工艺回收黄金。该工艺基于使用氯化盐在300-1100°C的高温下挥发金。来自安大略省红湖的矿石将与各种氯盐混合，并在高温下处理。红湖是黄金公司位于安大略省的一个矿山。该项目将提供一条减少黄金开采的用水量和环境影响的途径。该项目将与Goldcorp密切合作进行。考虑到Goldcorp作为黄金开采和开采行业领导者之一的地位及其对水资源管理的承诺，Goldcorp是开发和实施该项目的理想合作伙伴。首席研究员在金属和合金的高温提取和精炼方面具有丰富的相关经验。UBC的基础知识与Goldcorp的行业专业知识相结合，将确保该项目的可行性和实用性。

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.