Development of a novel eco-friendly process for gold extraction from refractory ores: Application of microencapsulation technique to gold hydrometallurgical process towards achieving carbon neutrality

• Project/Area Number: 24K17639
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 31020:Earth resource engineering, Energy sciences-related
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: PARK ILHWAN 北海道大学, 工学研究院, 准教授 (80844753)
• Project Period (FY): 2024-04-01 – 2027-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2024: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
• Keywords: Gold / Refractory ore / Leaching / Microencapsulation

Outline of Research at the Start

Thiosulfate (TS) leaching has gained increasing attention as an alternative to cyanidation for extracting gold from ore. However, it is not applicable to sulfidic gold ores. Thus, this research will investigate the applicability of microencapsulation to improve gold extraction by TF leaching.