Normal Temperature & Pressure
Desorption Electrolysis Unit
This high-efficiency, safe, and eco-friendly normal-temperature and pressure desorption electrolysis unit is designed specifically for gold carbon-in-pulp/carbon-in-pulp plants and heap leaching plants, enabling efficient desorption and electrolytic recovery of gold from gold-loaded carbon.
Advanced Gold Extraction & Refining equipment - Adsorption Electrolysis System
- Type: 300KG/Batch; 500KG/Batch capacity (Scalable up to 1000kg)
- Desorption rate: > 96%
- Electrolysis rate: > 99%
- Operating conditions: Ambient temperature and pressure, 95℃, 0.2Mpa
- Desorption time: 44 hours (starting from 95℃)
- Desorption solution concentration: NaCN 2%, NaOH 1%
Key highlights: Adopts closed-loop circulation design, reusing the desorption solution, combining environmental protection and economy, and is the core process linking carbon cyanide adsorption and gold ingot smelting. It offers mild operating conditions, low equipment investment costs, and a simple, easy-to-master process flow, particularly suitable for small-to-medium-scale gold mines and heap leaching operations.
What Is Normal Temperature Desorption Electrolysis Unit
Normal desorption and electrolysis unit, also known as an atmospheric gold elution and electrolysis system or conventional temperature and pressure gold stripping equipment. The intergrated unit is a gold extraction equipment that desorbs and electrolyzes gold at ambient temperature and pressure. Operating at near-standard temperatures (95°C) and atmospheric pressure (≤0.2 MPa) using an aqueous mixture of NaOH and NaCN as the eluent, the system integrates the core processes of desorption and electrowinning to ultimately produce high-grade gold sludge suitable for smelting. Widely utilized in CIL/CIP (Carbon-in-Leach/Carbon-in-Pulp) plants and heap leaching facilities at gold mines processing 10 to 1,000 tonnes of ore per day (TPD) worldwide, this system serves as a critical link in the gold cyanidation extraction process.
Applicable Scenarios:
- CIL/CIP Plants: In Carbon-in-Leach (CIL) or Carbon-in-Pulp (CIP) processes, gold-loaded carbon (after gold adsorption) requires a desorption-electrolysis system to extract the gold; this is a standard process step for producing gold sludge in such plants.
- Heap Leaching Operations: Recovery of low-grade gold-loaded carbon from heap leaching processes; the ambient temperature and pressure equipment offers high cost-effectiveness, aligning perfectly with the low-cost operational model of heap leaching.
- Gold Tailings Retreatment: Secondary recovery of gold from gold-loaded carbon generated during the cyanidation-adsorption treatment of tailings, thereby improving the comprehensive utilization rate of resources.
- Comprehensive Recovery from Polymetallic Ores: Processing gold-loaded carbon containing gold, silver, and other metals, allowing for the simultaneous recovery of these valuable metals during electrolysis.
- Gold Concentrate Cyanidation Workshops: Desorption treatment of gold-loaded carbon generated after the cyanidation-adsorption of flotation gold concentrates.
- Mine Laboratories/Pilot Plants: Used for process validation, parameter optimization, and ore amenability assessment involving small batches of gold-loaded carbon.
- Activated Carbon Regeneration Support: Barren carbon (post-desorption) can be regenerated and immediately returned to the adsorption circuit, reducing activated carbon procurement costs and establishing a complete “adsorption–desorption–regeneration” closed-loop system.
Key Equipment and Functions
⚡ 1. Electrolytic Tank
Constructed from stainless steel or carbon steel lined with corrosion-resistant material; equipped with internal cathode and anode plates. Under the influence of direct current (DC), gold ions are reduced to metallic gold, enabling the recovery of gold via electrolytic deposition.
🛢️ 2. Desorption Column
A vertical pressure vessel containing a bed of gold-loaded carbon. Desorption solution enters from the bottom and makes full contact with the carbon bed, displacing and desorbing the gold from the activated carbon; this serves as the core reaction vessel for the desorption process.
🔍 3. Filter
Installed between the desorption column outlet and the electrolytic cell, it filters out entrained carbon fines and impurity particles from the desorption solution.
preventing impurities from entering the electrolytic cell and affecting the purity of the gold sludge.
🔥 4. Electric Heater
Provides a heat source for the desorption liquid, heating it to the temperature required by the process (95°C); equipped with an automatic temperature control system to ensure temperature stability.
🧪 5. Desorption Solution Tank:
A vessel for storing and preparing the desorption solution—producing solution at the concentration required by the process—while also serving as a circulation buffer tank for the desorption solution.
🏗️ 6. Carbon Storage Tank
Used for the temporary storage of gold-loaded carbon awaiting processing and barren carbon that has completed desorption, enabling buffer storage and seamless transfer of the carbon material.
Structural & Principle Of Normal Temperature Desorption Electrolysis Unit
Working principle
Its core principle can be summarized as “anion displacement desorption + electrolytic deposition recovery,” consisting of three closely linked processes:
1. Desorption Process: The gold-loaded carbon, after being acid-washed to remove impurities, is loaded into the desorption column, and the prepared desorption solution (1%~2% NaOH + 1%~2% NaCN aqueous solution) is injected. An electric heater raises the solution temperature to 95°C, and a circulation pump drives the solution to flow continuously through the bed of gold-loaded carbon in a closed-loop system. CN⁻ and OH⁻ ions in the solution displace the [Au(CN)₂⁻] ions adsorbed on the activated carbon surface, causing the gold to desorb from the carbon micropores into the liquid phase and forming a gold-rich solution.
2. Electrolysis process: After the precious solution is filtered to remove carbon powder, it enters the electrolytic cell. Under the action of DC electric field, the gold cyanide complex gains electrons on the cathode surface and is reduced to metallic gold and deposited to form gold mud.
3. Recycling and regeneration: The lean solution after electrolysis is returned to the system for recycling, and the activated carbon can be regenerated and adsorbed again. Once the gold sludge accumulates to a certain thickness, it is removed; subsequent acid washing and smelting yield the final gold ingots.
why choose JXSC Normal Temperature Desorption Electrolysis Unit
features & Advantages
√ Low initial investment: No need for high-pressure vessels or specialized sealing systems; equipment manufacturing costs are only 40%–50% of high-temperature, high-pressure alternatives, resulting in a lower financial barrier to entry.
√ Low operational barrier : Operates at atmospheric pressure with no high-pressure risks; general mineral processing personnel can operate the system independently after just 3–5 days of training, without requiring special certification.
√ Minimal safety risk: System pressure is close to atmospheric pressure, eliminating the risk of pressure vessel explosions and avoiding the need for annual inspections or regulatory filings associated with special equipment.
√High maturity: Features advanced electrolysis technology, a wide control window for process parameters, stable and reliable system operation, and a low failure rate.
√ Easy maintenance and repair: Atmospheric pressure vessels feature a simple structure, allowing maintenance to be performed without specialized operational qualifications.
√ High spare part compatibility: Pumps, valves, instruments, and electrical components are standard parts, ensuring broad procurement channels and transparent pricing.
√ Energy-efficient: Waste heat is recovered via heat exchangers, and electric heating power requirements are moderate; energy consumption per tonne of carbon processed is lower than in high-pressure systems, keeping operating costs under control.
√ Strong adaptability to carbon types: Capable of processing gold-loaded carbon from various sources and grades; fluctuations in particle size or grade do not affect normal operation.
√ Good environmental compliance: A closed-loop circulation system reduces waste liquid discharge and allows for the reuse of desorption solutions, meeting environmental management requirements for gold mines.
√ Modular and scalable: Desorption columns, electrolytic cells, and other units can be added incrementally based on production capacity needs, allowing for phased investment.
models & specifications
Basic Parameters:
| Parameter | 300KG/Batch | 500KG/Batch |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Conditions | Normal temperature & pressure, 95℃, 0.2Mpa | Normal temperature & pressure, 95℃, 0.2Mpa |
| Processing Time | 40 — 48 hours | 40 — 48 hours |
| Total Power | 30KW | 45KW |
| Desorption Rate | > 96% | > 96% |
| Electrolysis Rate | > 99% | > 99% |
| Electrolysis Voltage | 1.5 — 3V DC | 1.5 — 3V DC |
| Electrolysis Current | 200A | 320A |
| Capacity | 300kg/batch | 500kg/batch |
| Equipment Weight | 2.5 tons | — |
| Equipment Dimensions | 4120 × 2100 × 4130mm | — |
| Parameter | 300KG/Batch | 500KG/Batch |
|---|---|---|
| Desorption Time | 44 hours (from reaching 95℃) | 44 hours (from reaching 95℃) |
| Desorption Solution Concentration | NaCN 2%, NaOH 1% | NaCN ≥ 2%, NaOH ≥ 1% |
| Desorption Temperature | 95℃ (measured at desorption column outlet) | 95℃ |
| Desorption Voltage | 1.5 — 3V DC | 1.5 — 3V DC |
| Electrolysis Current | 200A | 320A |
| Electrolyte Flow Rate | 1.5 T/h | 3.6 t/h |
| Desorption Solution Addition | NaCN 40kg, NaOH 20kg | Initial addition: NaCN 80kg, NaOH 40kg |
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