Barrick Gold has patented a gold recovery process that enhances thiosulfate leaching using activated carbon or similar materials. This method improves precious metal recovery from refractory materials by mixing a slurry of gold-bearing material, thiosulfate, and carbon, while maintaining the carbon during leaching for better results. GlobalData’s report on Barrick Gold gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
Smarter leaders trust GlobalData
According to GlobalData’s company profile on Barrick Gold, Extraction by leaching was a key innovation area identified from patents. Barrick Gold's grant share as of July 2024 was 53%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Gold recovery process using carbon-based materials and thiosulfate
The patent US12065714B2 outlines a novel process for extracting precious metals from precious metal-bearing materials using a combination of particulate carbon-based materials, thiosulfate, anion exchange resins, and oxidants. The process begins with the provision of a particulate carbon-based material, which may include activated carbon or charcoal, and a precious metal-bearing material. These components are combined to form a slurry, where the weight ratio of the precious metal-bearing material to the carbon-based material exceeds 125:1. The slurry is then treated with thiosulfate, an anion exchange resin, and an oxidant to facilitate the leaching of precious metals, ensuring that the anion exchange resin has a higher affinity for the leached metals than the carbon material.
Further claims detail specific conditions and variations of the process, such as the order of contacting the materials, the absence of pretreatment for the precious metal-bearing material, and the characteristics of the slurry during leaching. The oxidant used is typically molecular oxygen, and the process is designed to maintain specific pH levels, thiosulfate concentrations, and oxidation-reduction potentials. Additionally, the process emphasizes the removal of the particulate carbon-based material post-leaching, achieving a removal rate of at least 95%. The claims also highlight the importance of the precious metal-bearing material being substantially free of organic carbon and the potential for enhanced recovery rates when using the described method compared to traditional leaching techniques.
To know more about GlobalData’s detailed insights on Barrick Gold, buy the report here.
Data Insights
From
The gold standard of business intelligence.
Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.
GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
