Improvements in Extracting Precious Metals from Minerals Containing them, and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1897

page_text: "Improvements in Extracting Precious Metals from Minerals
Containing them, and Apparatus therefor.
I, BEDA BECKER, of Hufengasse 13, Eupen, in the German Empire, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the treatment of minerals containing precious metals for
the extraction of these metals and to apparatus for that purpose which I shall describe
referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a dissolving vat according to my invention, with
means of circulating its contents.
Fig. 2 is a plan to an enlarged scale of a nozzle that may be applied at the bottom
of the vat.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of an electrolytic vat employed in conjunction with
the dissolving vat.
Fig. 4 is a plan on the 4-4 of Fig. 3 shewing some of the electrodes.
Fig. 5 is a similar view shewing a modification.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a is the dissolving vat, preferably of conical form. bare amalgamating plates which
in some cases are removably attached to the side of the vat, preferably in separate
sections. c is a rotary pump, having suction pipe d leading from the upper part of
the contents of the vat, and e is the discharge pipe leading to the nozzle f, which has a
passage or passages so arranged as to discharge the entering fluid towards the sides of
the vat, these passages being preferably helical so as to give rotary motion to the
material passing through it;j is a valve by opening which the contents of the vat,
or a portion of them can be discharged or delivered into a recipient i. In operating
with this apparatus alone, the vat is filled above the mouth of the pipe d with solution
of a suitable solvent such as potassium cyanide and the pump c is put in motion so as
to cause active circulation from the upper part of the solution down the pipe d then
along the pipe e through the nozzle f. and up through the vat preferably with the
whirling motion due to the helical passages in f. The crushed mineral to be treated
is introduced into the circulating liquid by which the precious metal or a portion
thereof is dissolved. When the amalgamating plates 6 are employed portions of the
metal are deposited in amalgam on the plates which are from time to time removed,
fresh plates being substituted for them. After a time the speed of the pump
and consequently of the circulation of the fluid is lessened so that the heavier particles
suspended in the fluid along with such portions of amalgam as may be detached from
the plates subside to the lower part of the vat and are by opening the valvej discharged
into the removable recipient i. The heavier particles and amalgam may be thus
repeatedly removed and the remaining contents of the vat can be run off to be treated
by electrolysis or in any known manner for recovery of the metal which it contains.
I prefer however to apply electrolytic treatment to the contents of the vat it may be
while the solution is proceeding and for this purpose I employ the arrangement of
the electrolytic vat along with the dissolving vat for recovering the precious metals
In this apparatus k is the electrolytic vat which is connected at the bottom by
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page_text: pipe with valve y and at the top by a pipe m with valve w to the pump suction
pipe d. The pipe at the top of the electrolytic vat is adapted to be readily removed
so as to give access to the vat, it rests on supports uu and communicates through a
plug p with perforated branch pipes o which are caused to rotate by a band on a
pulley q or otherwise so as to distribute liquid from the vat a.
From a frames supported on brackets it depend a number of anode plates r and
from insulated frames v depend Cathode plates u which alternate with the anode
plates and can be lifted out from between them when required. The anodes and
cathodes may be curved and concentric as shewn in Fig. 5 or may be straight and
radial as shewn in Fig. 4.
While solution is going on for a time in the vat a the electrolytic vat k is dis-
connected from it by closing the valves wand y, but when the solution has for some
time gone on in a the valves w and y are opened and a valve in the pipe d is closed.
The fluid carrying the mineral matter is thus caused to circulate not only through a
but also through k from the distributing pipes o downward past the electrodes to the
suction of the pump and thence as before through a and so on. When the vat k is
of metal its interior should be enamelled or otherwise coated to prevent electro
chemical action on it.
Instead of employing a single dissolving vat several of these may be arranged to
operate in succession with one electrolytic vat or several of these. Each of the
dissolving vats may deliver to the next in order solution with a less quantity of solid
matter and the liquid from the last of these vats may be passed through the electro-
lytical vat whence after deposit of the precious metal the liquid may be returned to
the first of the dissolving vats.
Dated this 10th day of Manch 1007
".
· Improvements in Extracting Precious Metals from Minerals
Containing them, and Apparatus therefor."
I, BEDA BECKER, of Hufengasse 13, Eupen, in the German Empire, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to the treatment of minerals containing precious metals for
the extraction of these metals and to apparatus for that purpose which I shall
describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a dissolving vat according to my invention, with
means of circulating its contents.
Fig. 2 is a plan to an enlarged scale of a nozzle that may be applied at the bottom
of the vat.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of an electrolytic vat employed in conjunction
with the dissolving vat.
Fig. 4 is a plan on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 shewing some of the electrodes.
Fig. 5 is a similar view shewing a modification. Similar letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in the several figures. a is the dissolving vat, preferably
of conical form. b are amalgamating plates which in some cases are removably
attached to the side of the vat, preferably in separate sections.
c is a rotary pump
having suction pipe d leading from the upper part of the contents of the vat, and
having suspended from it a shield d¹ having its edge just below the surface of the

page_text: liquid, so that the liquid has to flow over the sides, and thus only the clearest of the
solution is drawn off by the pump, through the pipe de is the discharge pipe leading
to the nozzle which has a passage or passages so arranged as to discharge the
entering fluid towards the sides of the vat, these passages being preferably helical
so as to give rotary motion to the material passing through it; j is a valve by opening
which the contents of the vat, or a portion of them can be discharged or delivere d
into a recipient i.
In operating with this apparatus alone, the vat is filled above the mouth of the
pipe d with solution of a suitable solvent such as potassium cyanide and the pump c
is put in motion so as to cause active circulation from the upper part of the solution
down the pipe d, then along the pipe e through the nozzle f, and up through the
vat preferably with the whirling motion due to the helical passages in f.
The crushed mineral to be heated is introduced into the circulating liquid by
which the precious metal or a portion thereof is dissolved.
When the amalgamating plates b are employed portions of the metal are deposited
in amalgam on the plates which are from time to time removed, fresh plates being
substituted for them.
After a time the speed of the pump and consequently of the circulation of the fluid
is lessened so that the heavier particles suspended in the fuid along with such
portions of amalgain as may be detached from the plates subside to the lower part
of the vat and are by opening the valvej discharged into the removable recipient i.
The heavier particles and amalgam may be thus repeatedly removed and the
remaining contents of the vat can be run off to be treated by electrolysis or in any
known manner for recovery of the metal which it contains, I prefer however to apply
electrolytic treatment to the contents of the vat it may be while the solution is
proceeding and for this purpose I employ the arrangement of the electrolytic vat
along with the dissolving vat for recovering the precious metals. In this apparatus k
is the electrolytic vat which is connected at the bottom by a pipe with valve y and
at the top by a pipe m with valve w to the pump suction pipe d. The pipe at the
top of the electrolytic vat is adapted to be readily removed so as to give access to
the vat, it rests on supports u u and communicates through a plug p with perforated
branch pipes o which are caused to rotate by a band on a pulley q or otherwise so as
to distribute liquid from the vat a.
From a frames supported on brackets tt depend a number of anode plates r and
from insulated frames v depend cathode plates which alternate with the anode
plates and can be lifted out from between them when required. The anodes and
cathodes may be curved and concentric as shewn in Fig 5 or may be straight and
radial as shewn in Fig 4.
While solution is going on for a time in the vat a the electrolytic vat k is
disconnected from it by closing the valves w and y, but when the solution has for
some time gone on in a the valves wand y are opened and a valve x in the pipe d
is closed. The fluid carrying the mineral matter is thus caused to circulate not only
through a but also through from the distributing pipes o downward past the_
electrodes to the suction of the pump and thence as before through a and so on.
When the vat k is of metal its interior should be enamelled or otherwise coated to
prevent electro chemical action on it.
Instead of employing electrolysis as above described, for which a current of
electricity is necessary, the metal may be deposited from the solution upon zinc
shavings, in the known manner. When this method of depositing is adopted, it is
only necessary to remove the electrodes from the electrolytic vat and charge it with
zinc shavings, all the connections to the dissolving vat remain unchanged.
Instead of employing a single dissolving vat several of these may be arranged to
operate in succession with one electrolytic vat, or several of these. Each of the
dissolving vats may deliver to the next in order solution with a less quantity of solid
matter and the liquid from the last of these vats whence after deposit of the precious
metal the liquid may be returned to the first of the dissolving vats.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is.
1. In apparatus for extracting, precious metals from minerals containing them the
combination of a dissolving vat with a circulating pump or its equivalent, with
suction and discharge pipes and a valved discharge substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
2. In combination with the dissolving vat above referred to, amalgamating plates
attached to its sloping sides, substantially as described.
3. In combination with a dissolving vat, such as is above referred to, a nozzle to
the discharge pipe having helical passages, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
4. In combination with the dissolving vat above referred to, an electrolytic vat
with connecting pipes and valves and with electrodes arranged therein, substantially
as described.
5. The herein described method of treating minerals containing precious metals
for extraction of the metals therefrom by causing the crushed mineral mixed with
solvent solution to circulate or pass through a dissolving vat or several of these which
may contain amalgamating plates, and also through an electrolytic vat, or other
depositing vat.
Dated this 25th day of October 1897.