Electro-recovery of gold and silver from leaching solutions by means of simultaneous cathodic and anodic deposition

摘要

The invention relates to the mining industry, for the treatment of minerals and materials containing gold and silver. The invention specifically relates to a method for recovering gold and silver from thiosulfate and thiourea solutions, by means of an electrolysis method with simultaneous metal deposition on the cathode and anode. The advantages of the invention compared to prior art are that the method is faster and the energy consumption is lower than that observed in conventional cells. The electrolysis is carried out in the potential zones that enable the reduction of the silver and gold on the cathode and the oxidation of the ligand on the anode.