Electrolytic process for refractory arsenopyritic gold ores

Refractory arsenopyritic gold ore is a significant gold resource in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Bio-oxidation has been used at three locations in the Eastern Goldfields to treat arsenopyritic - pyritic gold concentrates, but the process is slow and gold recovery can be incomplete. An alternative approach to treating these resources is electrolytic oxidation of slurries with cheap chlorine, generated from saline water in the Eastern Goldfields using chlor-alkali electrolysers. Laboratory performance data testing this idea is outlined. A brief first-order cost comparison to bio-oxidation is described, based on published data for the Harbour Lights mine in Western Australia.