Review

A Review of Thiosulfate Leaching of Gold: Focus on

Thiosulfate Consumption and Gold Recovery from
Pregnant Solution
Bin Xu, Wenhao Kong, Qian Li *, Yongbin Yang, Tao Jiang * and Xiaoliang Liu
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China;
xubincsu@csu.edu.cn (B.X.); kongwenhao1005@163.com (W.K.); ybyangcsu@126.com (Y.Y.);
sklxl1987@163.com (X.L.)
* Correspondence: csuliqian@126.com (Q.L.); jiangtao@mail.csu.edu.cn (T.J.);
Tel.: +86-135-741-99228 (Q.L.); +86-138-084-82537 (T.J.)

Received: 26 April 2017; Accepted: 12 June 2017; Published: 15 June 2017

Abstract: Thiosulfate leaching is a promising alternative to cyanidation, and the main hindrances
for its wide commercial application are the high thiosulfate consumption and the difficult recovery
of dissolved gold. In this review, the four solutions to reduce the consumption of thiosulfate,
including the control of reaction conditions, the use of additives, the generation of thiosulfate in
situ, and the replacement of traditional cupric-ammonia catalysis, are introduced and evaluated
after the presentation of background knowledge about thiosulfate consumption. The replacement
of cupric-ammonia catalysis with other metals, such as nickel- and cobalt-based catalysts, is
proposed. The reason is that it not only reduces thiosulfate consumption observably via decreasing
the redox potential of leach solution significantly but also is beneficial to gold recovery mainly
owing to eliminating the interference of cuprous thiosulfate [Cu(S2O3)3]5−. Based on the comparative
analysis for five common recovery techniques of rare-noble metals from pregnant leach solution,
ion-exchange resin adsorption is considered to be the most appropriate to recover aurothiosulfate
[Au(S2O3)2]3− because the resin can be employed in the form of resin-in-leach/pulp and, furthermore,
is able to be eluted and regenerated simultaneously at ambient temperature. At last, how to reduce
the process cost of the resin adsorption technique is discussed. In order to simplify the complex two-
stage elution process for loaded resins, the traditional catalysis is suggested to be replaced.

Keywords: gold; thiosulfate leaching; nickel- and cobalt-based catalysts; gold recovery; resin
adsorption

1. Introduction
Cyanidation has been the predominant gold leaching technique since it was first put forward by
John Stewart MacArthur in the 1880s [1] because of its simple process and low cost. However,
unluckily, cyanide is highly toxic, and there have been some serious environmental accidents
occurring around the world caused by the leakage of cyanide from metallurgical plants [1–3]. Due to
of environmental concerns, cyanide leaching has been banned in many regions at present.
Furthermore, the leaching period of cyanidation is usually as long as 24 h [3] and gold cannot be
effectively leached from refractory gold ores. Thus, alternative lixiviants for gold have received more
and more attention in recent years. Among those lixiviants, chloride, thiourea, and thiosulfate have
received the most attention. The development of chloride leaching is impeded mainly by its
hazardous working environment, poor reaction selectivity, and high requirements for equipment
corrosion protection [4–6]. The future of thiourea leaching is not attractive because the consumption
and price of thiourea are both high and, furthermore, it is a suspected carcinogen [7–10]. Thiosulfate
leaching is widely considered to be the most promising alternative method owing to its reduced
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Metals 2017, 7, 222 2 of 15

environmental risk, high reaction selectivity, low corrosivity of leach solution, cheap reagents, etc.
[11–15].
Thiosulfate leaching was first proposed as a part of Von Patera process [16], where the leaching
was implemented after chloridizing roasting. In the initial stage of thiosulfate leaching, high
temperature and pressure were required until an improvement was carried out by using ammoniacal
thiosulfate solution to leach copper-bearing sulfide ores at ambient temperature [17]. From then on,
the studies about cupric-ammonia catalyzed thiosulfate leaching at room temperature began to
prevail. So far, there have been a large number of literature reported in this field on the effects of ore
types and reaction conditions [16,18–20]. However, the successful commercial application of
thiosulfate leaching is almost nonexistent, except that it is being used by Barrick Gold Corporation
(Elko, NV, USA) in its Goldstrike deposit with the pretreatment of acidic or alkaline pressure
oxidation [21–23]. The carbonaceous gold ore in Goldstrike deposit cannot be efficiently leached by
cyanidation due to the “preg-robbing” phenomenon, however, this phenomenon does not occur
during thiosulfate leaching owing to the very weak affinity of carbonaceous substance for gold
thiosulfate complex [24]. This also leads to the problem that the dissolved gold in thiosulfate solution
cannot be effectively recovered by active carbon adsorption which is the dominant technique used
for pregnant cyanide solution. The dissolved gold in the Goldstrike deposit is recovered by a resin-
in-leach process, and the loaded resin is eluted with a complex two-stage process. According to the
literature [18,23], the thiosulfate consumptions in different studies are usually over 25 kg/t-ore during
leaching and the dissolved gold cannot be effectively recovered by the simple techniques of active
carbon adsorption and cementation that is used widely in cyanidation, both of which make the
commercial competitiveness of thiosulfate leaching weak. Thus, the industrial application of this
alternative method is still rare up to now.
In this review, the background knowledge about thiosulfate consumption will be presented at
first, and then four solving measures to reduce the consumption are evaluated in detail. Afterwards,
five common recovery techniques for rare-noble metals from leach solution are comparatively
analyzed. In the end, how to improve the economy of the resin adsorption technique is discussed.
The main intentions of this review are to propose an optimal approach for the reduction of thiosulfate
consumption and a commercially-viable technique to recover dissolved gold from pregnant
thiosulfate solution.

2. Background Knowledge about Thiosulfate Consumption

High thiosulfate consumption is one of bottlenecks for the wide industrialization of thiosulfate
leaching. Yen et al. [25] thought thiosulfate leaching is not competitive compared with cyanidation
unless the thiosulfate consumption is controlled below 10 kg/t-ore. However, as mentioned above,
the consumption is usually higher than 25 kg/t-ore, and sometimes it even exceeds 100 kg/t-ore. For
example, as reported in the literature [16], the thiosulfate consumption reached up to 165 kg/t-ore for
a copper bearing gold ore. The main reasons for excessive thiosulfate consumption are as follows:
thiosulfate itself is metastable and easily oxidized by Cu(II) and, furthermore, certain associated
minerals can accelerate its oxidation [7,14].

2.1. Electrochemical-Catalytic Mechanism of Thiosulfate Leaching

The total reaction of thiosulfate leaching of pure gold is indicated in Equation (1), and the values
of standard Gibbs free energy for Equations (1)–(13) were all calculated based on the thermodynamic
data in the literature [26]. The essence of this reaction is an electrochemical process consisting of the
oxidation of gold at the anode and reduction of oxygen at the cathode [27,28]. In fact, the reaction is
very sluggish without the presence of Cu(II) and ammonia, and the speed of gold leaching increases
18 to 20 times with their catalysts [29]. The electrochemical-catalytic mechanism of thiosulfate
leaching of gold foil is described in Figure 1. In anodic areas, NH3 moves to the gold surface and
complexes with Au+ to generate the complex [Au(NH3)2]+. Then NH3 is substituted by S2O32− and, thus,
the more stable complex [Au(S2O3)2]3− is formed. Thus, NH3 can not only stabilize Cu2+ in alkaline
media by forming [Cu(NH3)4]2+, but also catalyzes the complex reaction between Au+ and S2O32−.
Metals 2017, 7, 222 3 of 15

These anodic reactions are shown as Equations (2)–(4). In cathodic areas, [Cu(NH3)4]2+ is reduced to
[Cu(S2O3)3]5−, and newly-generated [Cu(S2O3)3]5− is quickly oxidized back into [Cu(NH3)4]2+ by
dissolved oxygen in the solution. Thus, [Cu(NH3)4]2+ catalyzes the reaction of oxygen reduction. These
cathodic reactions are listed as Equations (5) and (6).

Figure 1. Sketch map of the electrochemical-catalytic mechanism of thiosulfate leaching.

It is worth noting that [Cu(NH3)4]2+ as a catalyzer boosts gold dissolution dramatically, but it
also markedly accelerates thiosulfate decomposition due to its relatively strong oxidizing ability [27].
As shown in Equation (7), S2O32− can be easily oxidized to S4O62− by [Cu(NH3)4]2+ whilst the
[Cu(NH3)4]2+ itself is reduced to [Cu(S2O3)3]5−. As mentioned above, the [Cu(S2O3)3]5− will be also
oxidized back into [Cu(NH3)4]2+ rapidly by oxygen. Thus, [Cu(NH3)4]2+ does not only catalyze the
reduction of oxygen, but also catalyzes the oxidation of thiosulfate.
4Au + 8S2O32− + O2 + 2H2O → 4Au(S2O3)23− + 4OH− ∆G0 = −97.9 kJ/mol (1)
Au → Au+ + e ∆G0 = 163.2 kJ/mol (2)
Au+ + 2NH3 → Au(NH3)2+ ∆G0 = −74.1 kJ/mol (3)
Au(NH3)2+ + 2S2O32− → 2NH3 + Au(S2O3)23− ∆G0 = −74.9 kJ/mol (4)
Cu(NH3)42+ + 3S2O32− + e → Cu(S2O3)35− + 4NH3 ∆G0 = −21.9 kJ/mol (5)
4Cu(S2O3)35− + 16NH3 + O2 + 2H2O → 4Cu(NH3)42+ + 4OH− + 12S2O32− ∆G0 = −67.1 kJ/mol (6)
2Cu(NH3)42+ + 8S2O32− → 2Cu(S2O3)35− + S4O62− + 8NH3 ∆G0 = −19.8 kJ/mol (7)

2.2. Route of Thiosulfate Decomposition

Thiosulfate is metastable in ammoniacal thiosulfate solution and tends to decompose into some
intermediate products, such as S4O62−, S3O62−, and SO32−, due to its oxidizability [7,30] and the final
oxidation product is SO42−. The simplified decomposition route of S2O32− is shown in Figure 2, and the
corresponding reactions are listed as Equations (8)–(11). Equation (8) actually represents the total
chemical reaction of Equations (6) and (7). According to the literature [31], S2O32− is oxidized into
S4O62− by Cu(II) involving the formation of the mixed ligand complex Cu(NH3)4S2O3, and the
oxidation process is depicted in Figure 3. S2O32− can change the coordination sphere of [Cu(NH3)4]2+
via complexing with a central cupric ion at its axial coordination site, then [Cu(NH3)4]2+ easily obtains
an electron from S2O32− and is reduced whilst S2O32− is oxidized. Thiosulfate can also self-decompose
or be reduced into S0, S2−, and SO32−, as indicated by Equations (12) and (13) [32]. Elemental sulfur and
sulfide deriving from these reactions deposit on gold surface and passivate its dissolution. In
addition, polythionates generated from thiosulfate decomposition can recapture aurothiosulfate
Metals 2017, 7, 222 4 of 15

[Au(S2O3)2]3− from ion exchange resins and thus hinder gold recovery by resin adsorption [33,34].
Thus, thiosulfate decomposition not only results in reagent consumption, but also inhibits the
leaching and recovery of gold.

Figure 2. Simplified route of thiosulfate decomposition.

Figure 3. Oxidation of thiosulfate by Cu(II) involving the formation of Cu(NH3)4S2O3.

4S2O32− + O2 + 2H2O → 2S4O62− + 4OH− ∆G0 = −106.7 kJ/mol (8)

4S4O62− + 6OH− → 5S2O32− + 2S3O62− + 3H2O ∆G0 = −183.4 kJ/mol (9)
2S3O62− + 6OH− → S2O32− + 4SO32− + 3H2O ∆G0 = −330.2 kJ/mol (10)
2SO32− + O2 → 2SO42− ∆G0 = −516.4 kJ/mol (11)
S2O32− → SO32− + S ∆G0 = 45.7 kJ/mol (12)
S2O32− + 2e → SO32− + S2− ∆G0 = 137.6 kJ/mol (13)

2.3. Effect of Associated Minerals

It is demonstrated that associated minerals, such as pyrite and hematite, can catalyze the
decomposition of thiosulfate [35,36]. By the comparison of four common sulfide minerals, Feng and
Van Deventer [37] concluded that the catalytic effect of pyrite on thiosulfate decomposition is
stronger than that of arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, and chalcopyrite. Xu and Schoonen [38] attributed this
effect of pyrite to its band structure. As Figure 4 shows, Chen [7] divided the oxidation of thiosulfate
catalyzed by pyrite into several steps. At first, thiosulfate is absorbed onto pyrite surface due to its
strong affinity for S2O32−. After the adsorption, electrons move from thiosulfate to the surface, and
then further transfer from the anodic area to the cathodic area via the conduction band of minerals.
Finally, oxygen obtains electrons easily from the cathodic area of the mineral surface. In the presence
of Cu(II)-ammine complex, it will preferentially gain an electron because its diffusibility in the
solution is stronger than that of oxygen [35]. It is easy to know from this figure that pyrite catalyzes
thiosulfate oxidation by providing a “bridge” for electron transfer. In addition, Chen [7] also found
that the presence of pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcocite, bornite, and galena has
significant detrimental effects on both of thiosulfate decomposition and gold leaching.
Xu et al. [39] found that all studied sulfide minerals can accelerate thiosulfate consumption and
hinder gold dissolution in different extent. The rates of thiosulfate consumption with the presence of
sulfide minerals followed the descending order of pyrite > arsenopyrite > chalcopyrite > galena >
sphalerite, and the rates of gold dissolution were in the sequence of sphalerite > arsenopyrite > pyrite
≈ galena > chalcopyrite. The dominant causes for these two detrimental effects of sulfide minerals
were inferred separately via the analyses of frontier orbital energy and XPS (X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy) to be the catalyses of these minerals on thiosulfate decomposition and the passivation
of gold surfaces [39]. From the above, it is concluded that certain associated minerals can catalyze
thiosulfate oxidation and, thus, accelerate the consumption. The minerals also hinder gold leaching
Metals 2017, 7, 222 5 of 15

because of the accumulation of passivation species deriving from thiosulfate decomposition on gold
surfaces.

Figure 4. Step-oxidation of thiosulfate catalyzed by pyrite. (a) the adsorption of thiosulfate; (b) the
transfer of electrons; (c) the formation of reaction products.

3. Measures for the Reduction of Thiosulfate Consumption

3.1. The Control of Reaction Conditions

Favorable reaction conditions are important to control thiosulfate consumption and promote
gold dissolution [1]. Although gold dissolution is evidently enhanced by a high Cu(II) concentration,
the thiosulfate consumption deriving from its oxidation by Cu(II) also increases markedly. Yen et al.
[40] put forward that high concentration ammonia reduces thiosulfate decomposition, but also
hinders gold dissolution because it can stabilize Cu(II) and decrease its oxidizing ability.
Concentrated thiosulfate solutions, excessive dissolved oxygen and high temperature all cause high
consumption of thiosulfate, but diluted thiosulfate solutions, low oxygen concentration (for example,
anaerobic condition) and low temperature make gold dissolution very slow [12,41,42]. Additionally,
reagent concentrations, solution pH should also be kept in an appropriate range. Molleman and
Dreisinger [43] proposed that the pH range of 9–10 is preferred to simultaneously stabilize thiosulfate
and copper ammonia complex. Moreover, the concentration ratio of Cu(II) to Cu(I) is also a critical
factor for both of thiosulfate consumption and gold dissolution because the ratio determines the
oxidation potential of leach solution [16,44]. Oxygen plays an important role in changing the ratio by
oxidizing Cu(I) to Cu(II). Furthermore, the concentration ratio of thiosulfate to ammonia should be
maintained in a range of 0.5–1.0 in order to ensure the regeneration of Cu(II), because S2O32− and NH3
are separately the dominant ligands of Cu(I) and Cu(II) in ammoniacal thiosulfate solution [24,43].
Most of above-mentioned reaction conditions are constantly changing during leaching, so it is
very difficult to precisely control each of them. However, the adoption of relatively low reagent
concentrations under limited oxygen supply is a relatively easy method to decrease thiosulfate
consumption. Lampinen et al. [13] demonstrated that satisfactory gold dissolution from a pressure
oxidized sulfide gold concentration and negligible thiosulfate consumption can be achieved with low
concentrations of ammonia (0.2 M), thiosulfate (0.2 M) and Cu(II) (1.6 mM) under continuous aeration
(0.2 L/min air). Based on the literature [12,24,36,45], the mixed pulp potential determined by the
Cu(II)/Cu(I) redox equilibrium potential is a key factor for thiosulfate leaching, and there is a proper
mixed potential range for both of high gold leaching ratio and acceptable thiosulfate consumption.
According to the above analysis, the concentrations of thiosulfate, ammonia, and dissolved oxygen
all can greatly affect the ratio of Cu(II)/Cu(I) and, thus, significantly impact the mixed potential.
Certain associated minerals also have obvious influence on the potential, because they will be
evidently oxidized and largely consume Cu(II) in ammoniacal thiosulfate solution [39,46] and,
moreover, the interfacial potential of mineral particles is also an important ingredient of the mixed
potential of actual slurry [47]. For each type of ore, the mixed pulp potential should be able to be
adjusted into the appropriate range mainly by controlling the concentrations of thiosulfate, copper,
ammonia, and dissolved oxygen. Thus, the regulation of mixed pulp potential will likely be an
effective means to improve thiosulfate leaching.
Metals 2017, 7, 222 6 of 15

3.2. The Use of Additives

3.2.1. Inorganic Additives

Some inorganic additives can be dedicated to reduce thiosulfate consumption. At the initial
development stage, SO32− and S2− were added into thiosulfate solution [3]. As shown in Equations
(14)–(16), SO32− can reduce tetrathionate to thiosulfate in alkaline media, and trithionate and
tetrathionate can also be reduced to thiosulfate by S2−. However, the S2− will precipitate dissolved gold
and impede gold leaching. Certain additives can easily complex with the central cupric ion of Cu(II)
and occupy its axial coordination site, thus the Cu(II) is stabilized significantly and the formation of
mixed ligand complex Cu(NH3)4S2O3 is prevented. As a result of this, the oxidation of thiosulfate by
Cu(II) gets restrained. Senanayake [31] concluded that the performances of anionic additives for the
reduction of thiosulfate consumption are in the sequence of phosphate > sulfate > chloride > nitrate >
sulfite > sulfide, because the coordinating abilities of these anions for cupric ions, i.e., their abilities
to stabilize Cu(II), are exactly in this order based on the analysis of hard-soft and Lewis acid-base
concept. Feng and Van Deventer [48] confirmed that hexametaphosphate and orthophosphate both
can decrease thiosulfate consumption and enhance gold dissolution, and hexametaphosphate has a
better effect because it not only stabilizes Cu(II) via complexing with the cupric ion at the axial
coordination site, but also disperses leach slurry by improving its rheology. The influence of cations,
including calcium, sodium, and ammonium, on the leaching of a pyrite concentrate has been studied
by Feng and Van Deventer [49], and the results showed that calcium thiosulfate and sodium
thiosulfate have the best effect on gold leaching and thiosulfate consumption, respectively.
S4O62− + SO32− + 2OH− → 2S2O32− + SO42− + H2O (14)
S3O62− + S2− → 2S2O32− (15)
4S4O62− + 2S2− + 6OH− → 9S2O32− + 3H2O (16)

3.2.2. Organic Macromolecular Additives

In recent decades, some organic macromolecular compounds have also been found to weaken
the interaction between Cu(II) and thiosulfate and, thus, decrease thiosulfate consumption. As
reported in the literature [36], a natural guar type surfactant (Gempolym M47) reduced the
detrimental effect of hematite on thiosulfate consumption because it could stabilize Cu(II) and
minimize the catalytic effect of hematite on thiosulfate decomposition. Ethylene diamine tetraacetic
acid (EDTA) is a widely used complexing reagent, and can also complex with Cu(II) and forms a
more stable coordination compound. Thus, the addition of EDTA decreases thiosulfate consumption
[50]. In addition to the coordination with Cu(II), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) changes the
semiconductor characteristic of arsenopyrite surfaces and, thus, relieves the negative impact of
arsenopyrite on thiosulfate decomposition [11]. Commercially-available amino acids, such as L-
valine, glycine, DL-α-alanine, and L-histidine, can also reduce thiosulfate consumption [51].
Ammonium alcohol polyvinyl phosphate does not only decrease the consumption, but also markedly
enhances gold leaching because the electronegative long-chain alcohol polyvinyl significantly
improves the rheology of leach slurry [52].
Humic acid (HA) is a mixture of macromolecular organics and can be easily extracted from peat,
lignite and decomposed coal, whose molecules have abundant negatively-charged functional groups
like carboxyl and hydroxyl groups [53]. The gold extraction from a refractory gold concentrate calcine
was improved from 72.6% to 81.4% and thiosulfate consumption was reduced from 42.7% to 13.2%
by the use of HA [54]. Compared with other additives, such as CMC, CMS (sodium carboxymethyl
starch), NaCl, and Na2SO3, HA had the best performance on the decrease of consumption and
improvement of gold leaching. Xu et al. [39] further studied the role of HA on thiosulfate leaching in
the presence of common associated sulfide minerals, and the results indicated that the HA effectively
reduced the harmful effect of sulfide minerals. The acting mechanism of HA was studied in detail,
mainly through the analyses of mixed pulp potential, zeta potential, and XPS, and was proposed as
Metals 2017, 7, 222 7 of 15

follows: humic acid radical ions not only weaken the interaction between Cu(II) and thiosulfate via
complexing with the central cupric ion at its axial coordination site and relieve the catalytic effect of
minerals on thiosulfate decomposition by making the affinity of mineral surfaces for S2O32− disappear,
but also prevent passivation species from coating gold surfaces through electrostatic repulsion.

3.3. The Generation of Thiosulfate In Situ

Thiosulfate can be generated by the oxidation of elemental sulfur in alkaline media, and the
generated thiosulfate is able to efficiently leach gold. For example, the S0 in an acid leaching residue
was oxidized into thiosulfate during alkaline pressure oxidation under the condition of 85 °C,
0.1–0.3 MPa and n(OH /S ) 0.90–1.25, and 90% of gold in the residue was simultaneously extracted
− 0

by the formed thiosulfate [55]. In another study, more than 80% of S0 added at 0.8 M in lime milk
solution in an autoclave was transformed into thiosulfate under 85 °C, 0.35 MPa and n(Ca/S )
0

0.55, and the gold extraction from an oxide gold ore containing negligible copper (0.007%, mass
percent) by generated thiosulfate reached 81.6% after 5 h of leaching [56]. This implies that gold can
be efficiently leached at relatively high temperature and oxygen partial pressure without cupric-
ammonia catalysis. Calcium thiosulfate can also be produced by the oxidation of S0 in lime milk
solution with a two-step process [57]. At the first step, calcium polysulfide and calcium polythionate
are formed by the reactions between the elemental sulfur, oxygen, and lime at 70–75 °C and 0.3–
0.5 MPa, and at the second step these two products are both further converted into calcium thiosulfate
at 80–95 °C and 0.3–0.5 MPa. The overall reaction for the generation of calcium thiosulfate is
listed as Equation (17). The S0 can be obtained via the oxidation of sulfidic gold-bearing feed during
acidic pressure oxidation pretreatment, and then the obtained S0 was further reacted with added
sulfite to form thiosulfate. The gold occurring in sulfidic feed was efficiently leached by the formed
thiosulfate [58].
Ca(OH)2 + 6S + 3O2 → 3CaS2O3 + 3H2O (17)
Thiosulfate can also be directly generated by the oxidation of element S in sulfide minerals in
alkaline media. Melashvili et al. [30] studied the equation for thiosulfate yield during pyrite
oxidation, and found that the sulfur in pyrite can be directly oxidized into thiosulfate under the
condition of 80 °C, 0.07–0.28 MPa, and pH 12.5. As shown in Figure 5, the oxidation of sulfur in
pyrite is a quasi-chain reaction process, where the valence of S is gradually increasing along the
direction from left to right. Melashvili et al. [59] further investigated the simultaneous dissolution of
gold by in situ formed thiosulfate during pyrite oxidation, and the best result was that 96% of gold
and 75% of silver were leached from a pyrite concentrate whilst 60% of sulfide sulfur is oxidized. Xu
et al. [60] found that the S in sulfidic gold-bearing ores/concentrates was partially oxidized into
thiosulfate during alkaline pressure oxidation pretreatment under the condition of CaO 30–80 kg/t-
feed, 140–160 °C and 0.3–0.4 MPa, and a part of gold in the feed was leached by the generated
thiosulfate. From the above, it is worth noting that the generations of thiosulfate from elemental
sulfur or sulfide minerals are both under high temperature and oxygen concentration. Thus, the
solution composition is very complex due to the decomposition of formed thiosulfate under the
strong oxidizing environment, which is detrimental to the gold recovery by resin adsorption [18].

Figure 5. Oxidation route of sulfur in pyrite.

Metals 2017, 7, 222 8 of 15

3.4. The Replacement of Traditional Cupric-Ammonia Catalysis

Traditional cupric-ammonia catalysis has three inherent drawbacks [18,20]. The first one is that
the thiosulfate decomposition is also catalyzed by Cu(II). The second one is the negative influence of
copper on gold recovery from pregnant leach liquor. Copper ions are co-precipitated with dissolved
gold during cementation using pulverized metal such as zinc and iron, and also are co-deposited on
cathode surfaces during electrowinning. [Cu(S2O3)3]5− that is the predominant form of Cu(I) in
ammoniacal thiosulfate solution seriously interferes with the adsorption or extraction of [Au(S2O3)2]3−
by ion exchange resins or extractants due to the same ligand of these two coordination ions. The last
one is that ammonia is poisonous and likely to pollute the atmosphere and water by volatilization
and drainage. Thus, there have been some studies about the replacement of cupric-ammonia
catalysis.
Fe3+ was considered to replace Cu2+ because it has also enough high potential to oxidize gold in
ammoniacal thiosulfate solution, based on the thermodynamic knowledge that E0(Fe3+/Fe2+) (0.77 V)
is higher than E0(Cu2+/Cu+) (0.15 V) [3]. Oxalate and EDTA both can stabilize iron ions in alkaline
media and, thus, were adopted to substitute ammonia [61,62]. Although negligible thiosulfate
consumption was achieved by the catalysis of ferric-oxalate or ferric-EDTA, the gold leaching rate
was low without the extra addition of a probable carcinogen of thiourea. Furthermore, the Fe(III) was
rapidly reduced to Fe(II) with the presence of sulfide minerals in actual leach slurry, likely because
these minerals catalyzed the oxidation of thiosulfate by Fe(III), which notably impeded gold leaching.
Ethanediamine can also complex with Cu2+ and forms stable cupric-ethanediamine complex [7]. The
cupric-ethanediamine catalyzed thiosulfate leaching using a synergistic additive of cetyltrimethyl
ammonium bromide was applied for a gold bearing ore containing high limonite, in which the gold
leaching percentage reached up to 94.3% whilst thiosulfate consumption was as low as 1.12 kg/t-ore
[63]. However, the development of cupric-ethanediamine catalysis is limited because ethanediamine
is poisonous, corrosive, and expensive.
In the last ten years, nickel- and cobalt-based catalysts have been developed. Ninety-five percent
of gold in a silicate-type ore was extracted by nickel-ammonia-catalyzed thiosulfate leaching, and
thiosulfate consumption was only 1.2 kg/t-ore [44]. The dissolved gold in nickel-ammonia-catalyzed
ammonium thiosulfate solution can be efficiently recovered by a strongly basic anion exchange resin,
and the percentages of gold adsorption and elution are both over 99% because of the lack of
interference of [Cu(S2O3)3]5− [64]. The extractions of gold and silver from a complex polymetallic
sulfide concentrate by copper- and nickel-catalyzed ammoniacal thiosulfate leaching were
comparatively studied in our previous work [14]. The results showed that thiosulfate consumption
during nickel-catalyzed leaching was evidently lower than that of copper catalyzed leaching, and the
gold and silver extractions with the nickel catalysis were also comparable. The construction of Eh–
pH diagram of Ni–NH3–S2O32−–H2O system depicted in Figure 6 was carried out using Outokumpu
HSC Chemistry 5.0 (Outotec Oyj, Espoo, Finland), and thermodynamic data were obtained from the
database [65]. Based on the analysis of this figure in the pH range for thiosulfate leaching (9–11), the
catalytic mechanism of nickel-ammonia is proposed as follows: [Ni(NH3)6]2+ is first oxidized into
Ni3O4 then Ni3O4 acts as an oxidant for Au leaching, whilst Ni3O4 itself is reduced back to [Ni(NH3)6]2+
during the oxidation of Au. The corresponding chemical reactions are indicated as Equations (18)
and (19). Ni3O4 particles originating from the oxidation of [Ni(NH3)6]2+ ions are likely to exist in the
form of colloidal sol because of their extremely fine size and hydrophilia, thus, solid-state Ni3O4 can
easily interact with gold in pulp owing to Brownian motion [14,66].
6Ni(NH3)62+ + 12OH− + O2 → 2Ni3O4 + 36NH3 + 6H2O (18)
2Au + Ni3O4 + 4S2O32− + 18NH3 + 4H2O → 2Au(S2O3)23− + 3Ni(NH3)62+ + 8OH− (19)
4Co(NH3)52+ + 4NH3 + O2 + 2H2O → 4Co(NH3)63+ + 4OH− (20)
Au + Co(NH3)63+ + 2S2O32− → Au(S2O3)23− + Co(NH3)52+ + NH3 (21)
The Eh–pH diagram of Co–NH3–S2O32−–H2O system is shown in Figure 7 drawn with the same
way described in the above paragraph. Based on the analysis of this figure in the pH range of 9–11,
Metals 2017, 7, 222 9 of 15

it is concluded that cobalt-ammonia can also catalyze thiosulfate leaching of gold via the conversion
between [Co(NH3)5]2+ and [Co(NH3)6]3+ with the aid of O2, and the related reactions are listed as
Equations (20) and (21). The conclusion is supported by the literature [67]. Additionally, nickel-citrate
and cobalt-EDTA are also found to be able to catalyze thiosulfate leaching through the transformation
between the bivalent and trivalent nickel-citrate/cobalt-EDTA complex ions [68,69]. Compared with
traditional cupric-ammonia catalysis, the consumptions with the nickel and cobalt catalysts are
observably lower because the redox potential of the solution is significantly decreased as a result of
the absence of [Cu(NH3)4]2+ and, furthermore, there is no ammonia pollution. In addition, nickel-
citrate and cobalt-EDTA are, respectively, the dominant forms of nickel and cobalt complex ions,
which are very different with [Au(S2O3)2]3− at the aspects of size and structure. Thus, the complex ions
of nickel and cobalt have little interference with gold recovery by resin adsorption or solvent
extraction. From the above, the replacement of traditional cupric-ammonia catalysis with nickel- and
cobalt-based catalysts can not only reduce thiosulfate consumption, but is also beneficial to gold
recovery from pregnant thiosulfate solution.

Figure 6. Eh–pH diagram of Ni–NH3–S2O32−–H2O system under the conditions of 0.05 M Ni, 1.0 M
S2O32−, 1.0 M NH3, 25 °C, and 101.3 kPa pressure.

Figure 7. Eh–pH diagram of Co–NH3–S2O32−–H2O system under the conditions of 0.05 M Co, 1.0 M
S2O32−, 3.5 M NH3, 25 °C, and 101.3 kPa pressure.
Metals 2017, 7, 222 10 of 15

4. Gold Recovery from Pregnant Thiosulfate Leach Solution

4.1. Activated Carbon Adsorption, Cementation, Electrowinning, and Solvent Extraction

Compared with gold leaching, there are fewer studies focusing on gold recovery from
aurothiosulfate solution, but these works have indicated that activated carbon adsorption,
cementation, electrowinning, and solvent extraction are all likely inapplicable [3,16,18,19,21].
Activated carbon adsorption is a mature and widely applied technology in cyanidation, which
is generally used in the form of carbon-in-pulp or carbon-in-leach. However, unfortunately
[Au(S2O3)2]3− is very difficult to be adsorbed by activated carbon [70]. The low affinity of activated
carbon for [Au(S2O3)2]3− may be due to the high negative charge and large size of this ion and weak
interaction between carbon active sites and ionic ligand of S2O32− [16]. Adding cyanide into the
pregnant solution can improve the gold recovery by this technique [71], but this is unfavorable from
an environmental perspective.
Cementation is also a common technique for gold recovery in cyanidation. Pulverized metals,
such as zinc, iron, and aluminum, can precipitate gold from thiosulfate leach solution by a
displacement reaction. However, unwanted cations are introduced and, thus, complicate the recycle
of the solution. Copper ions as a catalyzer for gold leaching are also precipitated out by these active
metals. Copper powder cementation avoids the above problems, but the dissolution of copper raises
the redox potential of solution and leads to the re-dissolution of precipitated gold and severe
oxidation of thiosulfate [72–74]. The dosages of pulverized metals used in cementation are far more
than theoretical amounts because the metal surfaces are easily passivated in the solution and, hence,
the gold content of precipitation product is low [75].
Aurothiosulfate ions can migrate to cathode surface and are reduced into metallic deposit by
direct current during electrowinning. However, some metal complex ions such as [Cu(S2O3)3]5− will
also be reduced into metals on the surface and contaminate the deposition product. Thiosulfate not
only is reduced on cathode, but also gets oxidized on anode [18]. Due to these unwanted side
reactions, gold product purity and electrowinning efficiency are dramatically decreased, and electric
energy input is markedly increased. Furthermore, the recyclable copper ions and thiosulfate in the
solution are severely depleted during electrowinning.
It has been proved that aurothiosulfate ions can be enriched in organic phase during solvent
extraction employing the extractants of primary, secondary, and tertiary alkylamines, tertiary amine
oxides, phosphines, phosphine oxides, phosphate esters, etc. [76–79]. However, the residual of
extractant and organic phase in the solution is detrimental to its cycle use, and an enriching operation
is required when Au(I) concentration is not high enough. Furthermore, the solution must be clarified
to prevent the formation of the third phase that is the immiscible second organic phase between
aqueous phase and organic phase, thus, additional plant equipment and processing time are
necessary to achieve a complete solid-liquid separation [18]. This will bring a considerable increase
in capital and operation costs.

4.2. Resin Adsorption

The technique of ion exchange resin adsorption has low demand for water quality, and it can be
employed in the forms of resin-in-pulp and resin-in-leach [80,81]. The elution of loaded resin is at
ambient temperature and its regeneration does not require the thermal reactivation and, furthermore,
the regeneration procedure can be accomplished during the elution process through an elaborate
choice of eluent [82,83]. In addition, the functional groups of resins may be designed and tailored to
improve adsorption selectivity for aurothiosulfate [18]. Thus, resin adsorption technique has
attracted increasing attention from researchers.
The ion exchange resins studied to recover gold from thiosulfate leach solution mainly involve
weak-base anion resins and strong-base anion resins. The loading capacities of weak-base resins are
usually less than 2 kg/t, and furthermore the capacities decrease markedly with the increase of pH in
the range of 8–11 [84]. The reason for this is that the functional amine groups attached to the
polymeric matrix tend to stay in the form of free base under relatively strong alkaline condition and
Metals 2017, 7, 222 11 of 15

are difficult to be protonated, thus, the ion-exchange ability of resins is damaged at a higher pH than
8. Thus, the weak base resins are not suitable to recover gold from ammoniacal thiosulfate solution
whose pH is generally in the range of 9–11 [84,85].
The loading capacities of strong base resins usually reach up to 10–25 kg/t, and are independent
of the solution pH. The high capacities make strong base resins more tolerant to competing anions
and can efficiently adsorb the extremely low concentration aurothiosulfate [81]. However, the
selectivity of these resins is poor, and inevitable anions such as [Cu(S2O3)3]5− and polythionate will
strongly compete with [Au(S2O3)2]3− for the active sites of resin surface and are co-adsorbed with gold
by resins. The co-adsorption of Cu(I) makes the adoption of a two-stage elution process necessary to
separate the copper and gold. At first the copper can be selectively eluted by the solutions of
oxygenated ammonia-ammonium sulfate, ammonium thiosulfate, etc., thus, a copper rich solution is
produced. Then, the gold is able to be effectively eluted by the single component solutions of
thiocyanate, polythionates, perchlorate, and nitrate or the two component solutions of thiourea +
sulfuric acid and sulfite + chloride [18,83]. The elution with single component solutions requires an
additional regeneration procedure for resins to regain their loading capacities and avoid the
accumulation of elution reagents in leach solution. For the two component solutions, the synergistic
reagents of thiourea (TU) and sulfite can form the mixed ligand complexes of [Au(S2O3)TU]− and
[Au(S2O3)(SO3)]3− through reacting with [Au(S2O3)2]3−, and these two complexes have observably
reduced affinity for the resins and, thus, are easily eluted by sulfate and chloride ions, respectively.
The SO42− and Cl− on resin surface are easily substituted by [Au(S2O3)2]3− when the eluted resins are
returned into pregnant leach solution. Furthermore, these ions have no obvious harmful impact on
thiosulfate leaching, which is deduced from the fact that sulfate and chloride both can be used as
additives to stabilize Cu(II) during leaching. Thus, the resins have regained their loading capacities
during the gold elution process, and the additional regeneration procedure is omitted by use of the
two component eluent solutions [83].
The commercial competitiveness of resin adsorption technique is low due to the cost and time
involving in operating this complicated two-stage elution process [18]. However, if the traditional
cupric-ammonia catalysis is replaced by other metals such as nickel and cobalt based catalysts, whose
complex ions have weak affinity for the resins, and the co-adsorption of base metals with gold on
resin surface will not occur. Thus, the two-stage elution process can be substituted by a simple one-
stage process, and the resin adsorption technique for pregnant thiosulfate solution become
commercially viable.

5. Conclusions
Thiosulfate leaching is a promising alternative to cyanidation. Although there have been a great
number of studies about thiosulfate leaching of gold in the past several decades, its successful
commercial application is rare. The main reasons for this are as follows: thiosulfate consumption is
high because thiosulfate itself is metastable and easily oxidized by Cu(II), which is a catalyst for gold
leaching and, furthermore, certain associated minerals can accelerate the oxidation; the recovery of
dissolved gold in pregnant leach solution is difficult because of the low affinity of activated carbon
for [Au(S2O3)2]3−, the complex composition of the solution, and the interference of [Cu(S2O3)3]5−.
The adoption of low reagent concentrations under limited oxygen supply and the regulation of
mixed pulp potential via the elaborate adjustment of reaction conditions are both beneficial to reduce
thiosulfate consumption. Some additives can be dedicated to stabilize thiosulfate, especially certain
organic macromolecular additives that decrease the oxidizing ability of Cu(II) and, furthermore,
relieve the catalytic effect of associated minerals on thiosulfate oxidation. The generation of
thiosulfate in situ deriving from the oxidation of sulfide minerals is also possible to solve the high
consumption problem. However, the replacement of traditional cupric-ammonia catalysis with other
metals, such as nickel- and cobalt-based catalysts is the most optimal approach, because it not only
reduces thiosulfate consumption observably by decreasing the redox potential of the leach solution
significantly, but also eliminates the interference of [Cu(S2O3)3]5− for gold recovery from pregnant
thiosulfate solution.
Metals 2017, 7, 222 12 of 15

The technique of ion-exchange resin adsorption is suitable for the gold recovery from thiosulfate
leach solution because the resin can be employed in the form of resin-in-leach/pulp and be eluted and
regenerated simultaneously at ambient temperature through the elaborate choice of eluent. Strong-
base anion resins are preferred to weak-base anion resins because their loading capacities are
markedly higher and independent of solution pH, but their selectivity for [Au(S2O3)2]3− against
[Cu(S2O3)3]5− is low. Thus, a complex and high-cost two-stage elution process is required to separate
the copper and gold loaded on the resins. If the traditional cupric-ammonia catalysis is replaced by
other metal-based catalysts, whose complex ions have weak affinity for the resins, the two-stage
process will be substituted by a simple and low-cost one-stage process.

Acknowledgments: Financial supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant Nos.
51504293 and 51574284), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (grant No. 2014M550422), the Hunan
Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 2015JJ3149), the Fundamental Research Funds for the
Central Universities of Central South University (No. 2017zzts799), and the Open-End Fund for the Valuable
and Precision Instruments of Central South University (CSUZC201704) are all gratefully acknowledged.

Author Contributions: Bin Xu completed the main part of this review; Wenhao Kong and Yongbin Yang
completed the other parts of this review; Qian Li and Tao Jiang offered the advice for writing and revision of
this review; Xiaoliang Liu collected the references in the course of writing.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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