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How is gold stripped from activated carbon after adsorption?
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gold processing
The Tanami gold mine, Northern Territory, Australia.
In the context of gold processing, gold is stripped from activated carbon by leaching the carbon particles with a strong solution of sodium cyanide and sodium hydroxide.1
Once the gold has been removed from the carbon and is back in the solution, it is typically recovered through one of two primary methods:
- Electrowinning: The gold-bearing solution is processed in an electrolytic cell, where the gold is deposited onto a cathode, often made of steel wool.12
- Merrill-Crowe Process: The solution is deoxygenated and passed through a filter-press. During this stage, the gold is displaced from the solution through a reduction reaction using zinc metal powder.1