Patent ID: 6090341
Filing Date: 2000-07-18
Classification: C22B,Y02P

Abstract:
An apparatus for extracting gold from ore comprising:a source of ground ore having interstitial gold;a source of an aqueous chemical solution including at least two species of chemicals, where a first species is an alkali/alkaline halide, and where a second species is the corresponding halogen;an insulated reaction chamber operating at a reaction chamber temperature and adapted to receive said ground ore and said chemical solution, thereby causing at least some of said interstitial gold to form a gold complex of the halogen in said aqueous solution;a heater for heating said reaction chamber to said reaction chamber temperature;a holding tank coupled to said reaction chamber to receive said aqueous solution;a cooling system coupled to said holding tank to lower the temperature of said aqueous solution to less than said reaction chamber temperature to form a precipitate including gold;a filtration chamber coupled to said holding tank to receive said aqueous solution and said precipitate;a source of water coupled to at least one of said holding tank and said filtration chamber to convert said gold complex in said precipitate into gold iodide; anda decomposer for decomposing said gold iodide into gold.