| Carbon-in-Pulp |
A recovery process in which a slurry of gold ore, free carbon particles and cyanide are mixed together. The pregnant solution is passed counter current through a series of tanks containing activated carbon particles. Gold has a natural affinity for carbon and the carbon absorbs the gold as it passes through the circuit.
The sequence of gold extraction
from ore by the carbon-in-pulp process now widely
used in Australia and the United States, particularly in open-pit operations
Loaded carbon is removed from the slurry by screening. The loaded carbon is stripped in a caustic cyanide solution under heat and pressure prior to the recovery of the gold by electrolysis or by zinc precipitation. The carbon is treated for re-use.