Gold recovery via chloride volatilization

金属和矿物工业严重依赖水，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，水危机在全球风险中的影响排名第五。在黄金加工厂中，水被广泛用于通过氰化物浸出来处理低品位矿石，这是提取黄金的常见做法。例如，1991-2006年期间，黄金加工厂的年用水量为224 000 - 1 783 000升/公斤黄金。该工艺的泥浆尾矿被储存在尾矿池中，其中储存的水占采矿工艺中不可用的水的最大部分。自1995年以来发生的尾矿坝事故和氰化物运输事故导致公众监督增加。本项目的最终目标是开发一种用水量更低的提取黄金的替代工艺，目前的项目旨在研究使用氯化工艺回收黄金。该工艺基于金在300-1100°C高温下使用氯化物盐挥发。来自红湖（Goldcorp在安大略的一个矿山）的矿石将与各种氯化物盐混合，并在高温下处理。该项目将为减少黄金开采的水消耗和环境影响提供一条途径。该项目将与Goldcorp密切合作。考虑到Goldcorp作为黄金开采和提取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。主要研究者在金属和合金的高温提取和精炼方面具有重要的相关经验。UBC的基础知识与Goldcorp的行业专业知识相结合，将保证该项目的可行性和实际相关性。

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.