MECHANISM OF SORPTION OF GOLD FROM DILUTE CHLORIDE SOLUTIONS BY DIFFERENT KINDS OF SILICA

Abstract

From numerous geological data it is known that gold tends to concentrate in quartz veins, as well as chalcedony or fine-grained quartz. This convinced the authors to conduct an experimental study to ascertain the mechanism of sorption of gold onto a silica matrix. They used different types of silica, differing in degree of crystallization, structure, chemical makeup and specific surface area. In addition to synthetic forms of silica, they also investigated the sorptive behavior of its natural varieties and analogs. The results of the experiments indicate that silica adsorbs gold differently from solutions at different pH's. Despite the extreme dilution of the original solutions and therefore the extreme undersaturation of the surfaces of the silica samples, a specific dynamic sorptive equilibrium was established in each case and determined the quantity of gold taken up.