A Safe, Cheap & Efficient Way to Dissolve Gold

A must have for small scale hard rock gold or silver prospectors.
Link to 911metallurgist:
www.911metallu...
Sodium Thiosulfate is a little known compound. This is surprising to me, as it's one of the cleanest, safest, and most widely available ways to dissolve gold. Unlike Cyanide, or Mercury, Sodium Thiosulfate poses very little harm to both the user, and the environment. And it's for that reason that such promise is held in this compound.
The fact that there are almost no videos at all that cover this on KZbin is strange, and also, very surprising to me. As it seems like this should be more widely touted, as it has such incredible properties, that, when used correctly, can allow small, medium, and even large scale miners to extract their gold from their crushings, and to precipitate it out of solution, leaving only the shiny, valuable metal behind in the process.
I hope you found this video useful!
Cheers!
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🌏 About OzGeology
OzGeology is an Australian-based KZbin channel that specializes in creating high-quality documentaries on Earth sciences and natural disasters. The content is designed to be easy to digest and covers a wide range of topics, not only focusing on geology but occasionally exploring other scientific areas as well.

[@dell2693]

Just a couple of notes (great video as always): Thiosulphate is cheap but as you need much higher concentrations in solution than you need free cyanide the cost is more expensive than cyanide extraction, at the moment. Obviously if things like detoxing the discharge to tails dams becomes prohibitively expensive then it changes the dynamic. The complex chemistry is also a bit of an inhibitor to adoption, cyanide leaching is so simple its almost impossible to mess up unless you try and run your process so lean you're deficient or don't have the residence time. Thiosulphate, as you state, takes work to make effective and is highly ore dependent on it's amenability and the catalysts to use. Also, the move to make thiosulphate compounds that bind to carbon undoes the benefit of utilizing it for carbonaceous preg-robbing ores, I would be very interested to see how that progresses with non-carbonaceous preg-robbing ores such as certain clays. Lastly, Ion exchange resin can be utilised for recovery of gold leached by thiosulphate which is pretty cool and the elution process is simpler than carbon desorption. Overall, enjoyed this video on processing and I do really look forward to how thiosulphate technology progresses, hopefully it does reach a point where it is the most viable option for processing for social, economic and environmental reasons.

[@roberthayward9299]

I've written a comment in your last video about using thiosulfate for gold extraction. I was inspired to crush up a sample of oxidised quartz vein that had been in my shed for many years. From an 800g crushed sample, I extracted a nice little tail of fine gold. I will attempt to copy a pic...( doesn't seem to want to copy to this platform sorry.) Haven't weighed the gold yet. My gold scales go down to 0.01g so they may not be sensitive enough. Update: The fine gold, dried and weighed comes in at 0.03g. Assuming it's an accurate measure, this means the vein is running at just over 1 ounce per tonne. Unfortunately the vein is so thin it wouldn't contain anywhere near one tonne. Was a fun little project though.

[@roberthayward9299]

Ammonium thiosulfate is available as photographic "rapid fix". I'm thinking about treating the residue from my crushed sample by making up some thiosulfate solution using sodium metabisulfate, caustic soda and elemental sulfur. I can easily access all of these things where I'm located. I'm enjoying your videos. Thanks for making them for us.

[@Hossak]

I am planning on trialling a combination of glycine with cyanide in the next plant I will be working at in a few months - GLYCAT as it is commercially known. Thiosulphate is okay but if this glycine works the way all the test work is indicating, it is a game changer. Massively reduce cyanide consumption as well as making a nice high grade copper precipitate on the side. I am confident that it will not be that easy but I trust the guys who have done the test and pilot plant work on it, anyway should be a learning experience. Curtin university did the initial work but it has been purchased by the biggest glycine manufacturer in the world - hint hint. Great video!!!

[@ibeatyoutubecircumventingy6344]

Literally described the process they used in Telfer for the last 40 years.

[@Hossak]

@@ibeatyoutubecircumventingy6344 That is the SART for their heap leach. Not exactly true. We also tried it at Red Dome in a way - nasty.

[@sarah-janefawcett1532]

Fantastic shots of Victoria Hill! If you're even in Bendigo again, come to the Central Deborah Gold Mine (I'm one of the tour guides and I'd love to meet you!)

[@janewray-mccann2133]

Very very interesting chemistry young fella. The new crusher is going to get a good workout but you will find that you will probably need a little rod mill to get your grind size down to the um's that you will require to get maximum use of the sodium diosulphate. I just happen to have a suitable rod mill that would be ideal for your experimentation. It needs a litttle petrol motor but that's all. I would love to see how sodium diosulphate works on sulphide's. Regards Rory, Tassie.

[@MiniLuv-1984]

Nicely done. Hope to see the rock crusher in action when you get it.

[@sharynhillton8193]

thanks for this episode. were actually about to embark on a lap and we've been learning so much from you and you're channel. if you'd like shots of anywhere in particular, if its on our route (which is everchanging) we'd be happy to oblige. thanks again legend

[@OzGeologyOfficial]

Cheers mate! I wish you the best of luck, this method is an absolute game changer. Hope it yields you tons of tasty AU! Thanks for watching, glad you got something out of it.

[@Soggyfist]

Love it! You are getting me closer to heading out myself!

[@OzGeologyOfficial]

You should!

[@krashdown5814]

@@OzGeologyOfficial yeah you guys are tempting me too, will have to rego the Beemer and hit the road. What I do want to chat about is the Deniliquin Astrobleme, if you fancy heading out there for a dig I would be willing to join you under your instruction of course. I'm a retired dude so flexible.

[@Algoldprospecting]

I got a lot of ore but don’t want to mess with chemicals

[@danielkrupski7471]

I wonder if this safer alternative could be used in recovery from e waste?

[@QuickFixTips]

How interesting!! Another great instructional video, Oz! But I want to know if you're going to go back to selling the quarts rocks with gold veins, that have already sold out? I love those, they're gorgeous!

[@bearcatracing007]

Well spoken. Great video.

[@OzGeologyOfficial]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@RussellCockman]

Thank you. Very interesting 😀

[@peterfuchs7822]

Good on you, thanks

[@haynesiest215]

Keen to see the process this is a game changer!

[@rodneymiddleton1044]

Good stuff mate I look forward to the upcoming videos.

[@kittykat4168]

That would be awesome, can't wait...

[@trevornugent9680]

Keep up the awesome videos mate!

[@steve-hihosilver243]

Great video. Will you be exploring old goldfields in West Gippsland?

[@darthex0]

Sweet!

[@Eric_Hutton.1980]

Fascinating and informative video.

[@ataasantoso8788]

Great Video

[@aalhard]

😮 "...small scale phallus, such as myself..."?!😂

[@stevenhaggar132]

G'day mate, In my opinion.. its absolutely terrific that you may have gold fever. Amongst Victorian black tourmaline is where .. the BIG Au may be found. The fissures and faults its in surround an ancient craton where .. the BIGGEST Au may be found. 🤠👍

[@roberthayward9299]

I've been thinking about this thiosulfate gold treatment and checking a few research paper synopses. It seems there may be a few ion exchange resins being researched as opposed to activated charcoal adsorption. No idea where to source an experimental sized sample of either of these resins so I've ordered a few $$$ of zinc powder to precipitate any gold I might dissolve. The zinc will coprecipitate the tetrammine copper II catalyst as well as any gold and silver, so I want to minimize the amount of catalyst I use. I'll be initially attempting to dissolve about 1.5g fine gold powder so I should be able to visually check how quickly the dissolution is going. Initially I might try adding the catalyst in increments of 1mg and getting visual confirmation of how the gold is dissolving over 20 minute intervals.

[@roberthayward9299]

I've sourced most of the chemicals I need and as soon as I have them all, I'll put together a little video to share how it all goes. My videos are very few and far between, mostly about things I do at my property here in Mullumbimby NSW. Rather than do arithmetic increments of copper sulfate, I'll do a geometric progression of 0.001g, 0.01g and 0.1g. This should give a far more comprehensive result compared to my original planned sequence of 0.001g, 0.002g and 0.003g.

[@successfulengineer]

Getting Gold dissolved is always the easy part, how do you get it back out ?

[@OzGeologyOfficial]

Precipitate it using copper.

[@myconsciousflow]

I hope they switched to this in WA - where they were contaminating that underwater lake with their gold mining!

[@MrDive2010]

A complete newbie to gold processing, somehow I’ve got myself involved in a gold exploration project in Ghana. Loads of issues mainly approval wise but good hard rock and alluvial deposits. Going through limited approval to mine up to 50,000tpa, which we will do in 6 months due to rains. Alluvial we have off shelf options but hard rock (oxides) I’m looking for small crushing and leaching options (no cyanide). A containerised option would be perfect. Any ideas on who can help with this project would be greatly appreciated.

[@noimnotarobotcanubeleiveit7024]

There are good Russian companies willing to work there

[@lithiumvalleyrocksprospect9792]

Re discovered this vid.... I'm about to try glycine

[@parrotraiser6541]

Are the reagents actually reacting with the gold, ordissolving the surrounding matrix?

[@Hossak]

Also - cyanide is not that bad toxicity wise. I have worked with mercury (recovering it on an industrial scale) and that is far worse - yech.

[@buriedtoodeep1508]

Watch out for Deatrhclaws.

[@Slavicplayer251]

what if you heat lead and the ground ore to 600c then run it through a couple times then cupel the lead out

[@Aquatyger]

Borax is another alternative to mercury or cyanide.

[@markfryer9880]

What chemicals can you use to disolve the base rock and quartz rock?

[@OzGeologyOfficial]

Id only ever crush these up but if you really, really want to dissolve it. HCl will dissolve most things except the quartz. If I remember correctly hydrofluoric acid will dissolve quartz. But I must stress that it's an unbelievable dangerous acid haha.

[@lukethedank13]

Quartz can be disolved in molten NaOH. Still dangerous but much more safe to use than HF.

[@lithiumvalleyrocksprospect9792]

Awesome mate thanks for that tip I think thio will be very useful in my little operation - Donnybrook Gold 🥇 dude well done

[@OzGeologyOfficial]

Glad to help mate! Go hard!

[@lithiumvalleyrocksprospect9792]

@@OzGeologyOfficial 3 more weeks for the bionic knee to heal and I can drive... you will have to go hard for me 👍👍👍 BBQ your ore to make it easier to crush

[@Hoonbernator1590]

I had read about some good results with vinegar. Did you consider that?

[@noimnotarobotcanubeleiveit7024]

Gold is looking less and less noble

[@josephhalligan1712]

thanks thats relay interesting, i love it too

[@darrenmarney8577]

I totally appreciate this information 👌 I can understand the chemistry & now the possibilities of extracting some value from my samples could be achievable 🙏

[@OzGeologyOfficial]

Glad it was helpful! Hope you get tons of that tasty shiny AU my man!

[@procactus9109]

I can imagine making a big hole, put some explosives in it, then load the rock on top... Thank me later lol

[@krashdown5814]

Make your own astrobleme !

[@irwintatyana9066]

interesting