Abstract:

This article investigates the chemical INCO SO2/Air process applied for the production of gold from ore, for the environmental impacts of cyanidation wastes causing many problems and for the treatment of cyanide wastes in waste pools. The cyanide leaching process and its environmental effects, which have been widely used in gold production from ore in recent years, have been investigated. Although gold ore is not dissolved in acid and base solutions at room temperature, it is dissolved with very high efficiency of gold ore in aqueous cyanide solution at room temperature. However, the aqueous cyanide solution is very harmful to the environment. Therefore, both cyanide leaching solution and cyanide leaching process waste should not be released directly to the environment. A treatment plant should be established for cyanide solution and cyanide process waste. In this treatment plant, the total cyanide concentration can be reduced to a maximum of 1 ppm. Today, the most common method of treatment for cyanide wastes is the chemical INCO SO2/Air process. Using the INCO Process, the total cyanide concentration in waste is reduced to less than 1 ppm, while toxic cyanides are converted into harmless forms such as ammonium and carbonate.

Keywords: