U.S. patent application number 09/821720 was filed with the patent office on 2003-01-23 for recovery of precious metals from thiosulfate solutions.
Invention is credited to Wan, Rong Yu.
Application Number | 20030015065 09/821720 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25234126 |
Filed Date | 2003-01-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030015065 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wan, Rong Yu |
January 23, 2003 |
RECOVERY OF PRECIOUS METALS FROM THIOSULFATE SOLUTIONS
Abstract
In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for
recovering precious metal, and particularly gold, from a
particulate substrate loaded with a precious metal-containing
coating, in which a portion, but less than substantially all, of
the particulate substrate is dissolved away to physically release
precious metal-containing coating from the particulate substrate.
The particulate substrate loaded with a precious metal-containing
coating may be prepared during precious metal recovery operations
by cementation of precious metal on a base metal particulate
substrate from a pregnant leach solution, such as a leach solution
including a thiosulfate lixiviant for the precious metal.
Inventors: |
Wan, Rong Yu; (Highlands
Ranch, CO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MARSH FISCHMANN & BREYFOGLE LLP
Suite 411
3151 S. Vaughn Way
Aurora
CO
80014
US
|
Family ID: |
25234126 |
Appl. No.: |
09/821720 |
Filed: |
March 29, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
75/714 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C22B 11/04 20130101;
Y02P 10/234 20151101; C22B 3/46 20130101; Y02P 10/20 20151101 |
Class at
Publication: |
75/714 |
International
Class: |
C22B 011/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for removing precious metal from a cementation product
including a substrate and precious metal in a precious
metal-containing coating loaded onto the surface of the substrate,
the metal comprising selectively dissolving into a dissolution
solution a portion, but less than substantially all, of the
substrate so that at least a portion of the precious
metal-containing coating is physically released from the
substrate.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively dissolving
comprises dissolving no more than 25 weight percent of the
substrate into the dissolution solution.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively dissolving
comprises dissolving no more than 10 weight percent of the
substrate into the dissolution solution.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively dissolving
comprises dissolving no more than 2 weight percent of the substrate
into the dissolution solution.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein at least 90 weight percent of the
precious metal of the coating is physically released from the
substrate during the removing.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selectively dissolving
comprises dissolving into the dissolution solution no more than 1
weight percent of the precious metal from the cementation
product.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the selectively dissolving
comprises agitating a mixture including the cementation product and
the dissolution solution, thereby promoting the physical release of
the portion of the precious metal-containing coating.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the precious
metal-containing coating, when released from the substrate, is in
the form of a precious metal-containing fine particulate mixed with
the dissolution solution.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising separating at least a
portion of the substrate from the dissolution solution and the fine
particulate.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the separating comprises size
separation of the portion of the substrate from the fine
particulate.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the substrate is in particulate
form having a weight average particle size of at least about one
order of magnitude larger than the weight average particle size of
the fine particulate.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein the separating is a first
separating and the method further comprises, after the first
separating, second separating at least a portion of the fine
particulate from the dissolution solution.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second separating comprises
filtering at least a portion of the fine particulate material from
the dissolution solution.
14. The method of claim 8, wherein the selectively dissolving is a
first selectively dissolving and the fine particulate comprises a
component other than the precious metal; and the method further
comprises, after the separating, second selectively dissolving at
least a portion of the component from the fine particulate.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first selectively
dissolving is conducted at an alkaline pH and the second
selectively dissolving is conducted at an acidic pH.
16. The method of claim 8, further comprising, after the
separating, using at least a portion of the substrate for
cementation of precious metal from a leach solution including
dissolved precious metal.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is in a
particulate form having a weight average particle size of larger
than 100 mesh (0.149 mm).
18. The method of claim 1, wherein the dissolution solution
comprises an aqueous ammoniacal solution.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the dissolution solution
comprises dissolved ammonium carbonate.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the pH of the dissolution
solution, as fed to the selectively separating, during the
contacting, has a pH in a range of from pH 8 to pH 9.
21. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a base
metal in metallic form.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the base metal is selected from
the group consisting of copper, zinc, iron and combinations
thereof.
23. The method of claim 1, comprising, prior to the selectively
dissolving, preparing the cementation product, the preparing
comprising: (i) leaching a precious metal-containing mineral
material with a leach solution to dissolve precious metal into the
leach solution, and (ii) after the leaching, cementation of
precious metal from the leach solution onto the substrate.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the leach solution comprises a
thiosulfate lixiviant.
25. The method of claim 1, wherein the precious metal comprises
gold.
26. A method for recovering precious metal from a precious
metal-containing mineral material, the method comprising: leaching
the precious metal-containing mineral material to dissolve into a
leach solution at least a portion of the precious metal; after the
leaching, cementation of at least a portion of the precious metal
from the leach solution onto a particulate substrate comprising a
base metal, to form a cementation product comprising a precious
metal-containing coating supported on the particulate substrate;
after the cementation, selectively dissolving into a dissolution
solution a portion, but less than substantially all, of the
particulate substrate to physically release from the particulate
substrate at least a portion of the precious metal-containing
coating, wherein released precious metal-containing coating is in
the form of a fine particulate mixed with the dissolution
solution.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the selectively dissolving
comprises dissolving no more than 25 weight percent of the
particulate substrate into the dissolution solution.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein during the selectively
dissolving no more than 1 weight percent of the precious metal in
the precious metal-containing coating is dissolved into the
dissolution solution.
29. The method of claim 26 further comprising agitating a mixture
including the cementation product and the dissolution solution
during the selectively dissolving, thereby promoting the physical
release of the precious metal-containing coating.
30. The method of claim 26, wherein the method further comprises:
first separating at least a portion of the particulate substrate
from a mixture including the dissolution solution and at least a
portion of the fine particulate; and after the first separating,
second separating at least a portion of the fine particulate from
the dissolution solution to provide.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein the first separating comprises
size separation of the particulate substrate and the fine
particulate, the particulate substrate having a weight average
particle size of at least one order of magnitude larger than the
weight average particle size of the fine particulate.
32. The method of claim 30, wherein substantially all particles of
the recovered particulate substrate are at least weight 100 mesh
(0.149 mm) in size.
33. The method of claim 30, further comprising recycling at least a
portion of the recovered particulate substrate for use in the
cementation.
34. The method of claim 26, wherein the leach solution comprises an
aqueous solution including a thiosulfate lixiviant for the precious
metal, and the base metal of the particulate substrate comprises
metallic copper.
35. The method of claim 34, wherein the particulate substrate
consists essentially of copper particles of a size of at least 100
mesh (0.149 mm).
36. The method of claim 35, wherein the dissolution solution
comprises an aqueous ammoniacal solution.
37. The method of claim 36, wherein the dissolution solution, as
fed to the selectively dissolving, has a pH of from pH 8 to pH 9
and comprises an aqueous solution comprising dissolved ammonium
carbonate.
38. The method of claim 26, wherein the leach solution comprises an
aqueous cyanide solution and the base metal of the particulate
substrate comprises metallic zinc.
39. The method of claim 26, wherein the particulate substrate has a
weight average particle size of at least 20 mesh (0.841 mm).
40. The method of claim 26, wherein the precious metal comprises
gold.
41. A method for recovering gold from a gold-bearing mineral
material, comprising: leaching gold from the mineral material into
a leach solution including a thiosulfate lixiviant to dissolve gold
into the leach solution in the form of at least one
gold-thiosulfate complex; after the leaching, cementation of at
least a portion of the gold from the leach solution onto a base
metal particulate substrate to form a cementation product including
gold loaded on the base metal particulate substrate; contacting the
cementation product with a dissolution solution and dissolving into
the dissolution solution a portion, but less than substantially
all, of the base metal particulate substrate and physically
releasing from the cementation product a fine particulate
comprising gold; and separating at least a portion of the
particulate substrate from the fine particulate.
42. The method of claim 41, wherein the particulate substrate, as
separated from the fine particulate during the separating, has a
weight average size of larger than 100 mesh (0.149 mm).
43. The method of claim 41, wherein the particulate substrate, as
separated from the fine particulate during the separating, has a
weight average size of larger than 20 mesh (0.841 mesh).
44. The method of claim 41, wherein the particulate substrate, as
separated from the fine particulate during the separating, has a
weight average size of larger than 10 mesh (1.68 mm).
45. The method of claim 41, wherein after the separating, the fine
particulate is in a mixture with the dissolution solution, and the
method further comprises separating at least a portion of the fine
particulate mixture from the dissolution solution.
46. The method of claim 41, wherein the dissolution solution
comprises an ammoniacal aqueous solution at an alkaline pH.
47. The method of claim 46, wherein the dissolution solution
comprises an aqueous solution including dissolved ammonium
carbonate and ammonia.
48. The method of claim 46, wherein the dissolution solution is at
a pH in a range of from pH 8 to pH 9.
49. The method of claim 41, further comprising following, after the
separating, recycling at least a portion of the particulate
substrate to the cementation for cementation of additional gold.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention concerns mineral processing to recover
precious metals, including recovery of gold following cementation
of the gold out of leach solutions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Precious metals, especially gold, are frequently recovered
from precious metal-containing ores, concentrate, and other
precious metal-containing mineral materials by leaching the
precious metal into a leach solution including a lixiviant for the
precious metal. Examples of lixiviants used to leach gold include
certain cyanide salts, thiosulfate salts and thiorea. The gold may
be recovered from the pregnant leach solution by a variety of
techniques, depending upon the lixiviant that is used. For example,
a common technique for recovering gold from a cyanide leach
solution is to adsorb the gold-cyanide complex onto activated
carbon granules, remove the gold-loaded carbon granules from the
leach solution and strip the gold off of the granules using a strip
solution. Another technique is to contact the pregnant leach
solution with an ion exchange resin capable of removing the
precious metal from the leach solution.
[0003] Yet another technique for recovering precious metals from a
pregnant leach solution is cementation. In cementation, pieces of
another metal, typically in a particulate form, such as in the form
of a powder, granules, or beads, is contacted with the pregnant
leach solution under conditions so that some of the other metal
dissolves into the leach solution and displaces dissolved precious
metal from the solution. Precious metal displaced from the solution
deposits on the pieces of the other metal to form a cementation
product including a thin precious metal-containing coating
supported on the pieces of the other metal. The pieces of the other
metal, therefore, act as a substrate on which a coating of the
precious metal deposits during the cementation. The other metal, or
substrate metal, is typically a base metal, and it is important
that the electrode potential between the substrate metal and the
precious metal be large enough to adequately drive the cementation
reaction. For example, zinc works well as a substrate metal for
cementation of gold from cyanide leach solutions and copper works
well as a substrate metal for cementation of gold from thiosulfate
leach solutions.
[0004] One problem with cementation is that it can be expensive to
subsequently separate the precious metal from the other metal. The
substrate metal, which typically makes up a much larger portion of
the cementation product than the precious metal, is a nuisance in
the smelting operation and increases the cost of preparing a
purified precious metal product. This is one reason why it is often
preferred to find an alternative technique for recovering gold from
leach solutions. In the case of gold recovery using cyanide leach
solutions, problems associated with cementation are typically
avoided by removing gold from the leach solution using activated
carbon.
[0005] In the case of thiosulfate lixiviants, activated carbon is
not effective for removing gold from the thiosulfate leach
solution, and the use of ion exchange resins is expensive.
Cementation, particularly on copper, has been found effective for
removing gold from thiosulfate leach solutions, but the copper is a
nuisance during smelting and refining operations. To increase the
surface area available for cementation and thereby also increase
gold loading per unit weight of copper, a fine copper powder has
been used for cementation of gold. One problem with using a fine
copper powder, however, is that it is difficult to adequately
clarify the pregnant thiosulfate leach solution prior to
cementation. Very fine filtration is typically required, which is
expensive. Also, even when using a fine copper powder, a large
quantity of copper must be processed during subsequent smelting and
refining operations, significantly adding to the ultimate cost of
preparing a purified gold product. This is in addition to the cost
of the copper that is consumed. One solution to the clarification
problem would be to use relatively large copper beads that could be
easily separated from the leach solution by simple screening. This
has the effect, however, of significantly increasing copper
consumption and also the amount of nuisance copper that must be
processed during precious metal smelting and refining
operations.
[0006] There is a significant need for improved cementation
operations for recovering precious metals, and especially for
recovering gold from thiosulfate leach solutions, that permit
easier clarification of the leach solution, and/or that reduce the
quantity of the substrate metal from the cementation operation that
must be processed along with the precious metal during smelting and
refining operations, and/or that reduce the quantity of the other
metal consumed per unit weight of precious metal recovered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It has been found with the present invention that the amount
of the substrate consumed to recover precious metals by cementation
from thiosulfate leach solutions can be significantly reduced, and
also the quantity of the substrate metal that must be processed
during smelting and refining operations can be significantly
reduced, by selectively dissolving from the cementation product a
small portion of the substrate metal thereby effecting physical
release of the precious metal from the substrate. The released
precious metal can then be separated from the substrate for
subsequent smelting and refining operations to prepare a purified
precious metal product. In this way, the amount of substrate metal
(e.g., copper or zinc) that needs to be processed during refining
operations is significantly reduced. The separated substrate
particles can then be recycled for cementation of additional
precious metal, with a result being that less of the substrate
metal is consumed per unit weight of precious metal recovered. An
additional advantage is that it is possible to use relatively
large, or coarse, particles of the substrate metal for the
cementation, which significantly simplifies clarification of the
leach solution because the larger particles are easier to remove
than a fine powder. A simple screen is typically adequate for
separating the cementation product from the barren leach solution
following cementation. The use of relatively large particles of the
substrate metal is possible because only a small amount of
substrate metal is consumed during the selective dissolution to
release the precious metal, permitting particles of the substrate
metal to be reused several times for cementation of the precious
metal.
[0008] In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for
removing a precious metal from a cementation product including a
substrate loaded with a precious metal-containing coating. The
method involves selectively dissolving into a dissolution solution
only a portion of the substrate to effect physical release of at
least a portion of the precious metal-containing coating.
Preferably only a small portion of the substrate is dissolved,
while only a negligible amount or none of the precious metal is
dissolved. The released precious metal, which remains in a solid
form, can then be separated from the dissolution solution for
further processing.
[0009] In one specific embodiment, the particulate substrate is a
particulate base metal and the precious metal-containing coating
comprises gold that has been loaded onto the particulate base metal
by cementation. When cementation of the gold is from a thiosulfate
leach solution, the particulate substrate will preferably be a
particulate copper. When cementation of the gold is from a cyanide
leach solution, the particulate substrate will preferably be
particulate zinc. When the particulate substrate is a base metal,
and particularly when the particulate substrate is copper or zinc,
a preferred dissolution solution is an ammonium carbonate solution.
In most instances, it is necessary to dissolve only a few percent
or less of the particulate substrate to effect release of the gold,
and the particulate substrate can be reused many times for further
cementation. As separated from the dissolution solution, the gold
is ordinarily in fine particulate sludge that may be about 3 times
or more concentrated in gold than current typical cementation
product produced using a fine base metal particulate. In one
embodiment of the present invention, base metal components of the
fine particulate sludge can be selectively dissolved to produce a
product with an even higher gold content. Smelting and refining can
be expected to be significantly less expensive for processing this
more concentrated product than current conventional cementation
product.
[0010] In another aspect, the present invention provides a method
for recovering gold from a gold-containing mineral material that
involves leaching the mineral material to dissolve at least a
portion of the gold into the leach solution to form a pregnant
leach solution, followed by contacting the pregnant leach solution
with a particulate substrate in a manner to remove at least a
portion of the gold from the pregnant leach solution and load gold
onto the particulate substrate, such as by cementation. The
gold-loaded particulate substrate is then separated from the leach
solution and contacted with a dissolution solution to dissolve a
portion, and preferably only a small portion, of the particulate
substrate, so that at least a portion of a gold-containing coating
is physically released from the particulate substrate in the form
of a fine particulate. The particulate substrate can then be
separated from the dissolution solution and the fine particulate,
such as by screening out the coarser particulate substrate. The
precious metal-containing fine particulate can then be separated
from the dissolution solution, such as by filtration.
[0011] These and other aspects of the invention are further
described below. Also, although the invention is described
primarily with respect to recovery of gold, the same principles
apply to recovery of other precious metals in operations in which
the precious metal is coated on a particulate substrate, so long as
a portion of the substrate material is selectively dissolvable in a
manner to physically release the precious metal in solid form from
the particulate substrate. Furthermore, the invention is described
primarily with reference to removal of precious metal from a
cementation product but in a broad sense the invention is not so
limited and includes the processing of any precious
metal-containing material having a substrate and a precious
metal-containing surface coating supported on the substrate,
wherein a small portion of the substrate is selectively dissolvable
to physically release precious metal-containing coating, and
especially when the substrate is a base metal material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a generalized process flow diagram of one
embodiment of the method of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a generalized process flow diagram of another
embodiment of the method of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
[0014] As used herein, "precious metal" means at least one of gold
and silver.
[0015] As used herein, "particulate" means that a material is in
the form of distinct particles, for example, in the form of a
powder, granules, beads, etc., which may be in a dry form or may be
slurried in a liquid for processing. The particles need not be
uniform in size or of any particular shape. For example, the
particles could be spheroidal, elongate cylinders or completely
irregular in shape.
[0016] As used herein, "particulate substrate" means material in a
particulate form capable of supporting a precious metal-containing
coating, such as is created during cementation recovery of a
precious metal.
[0017] As used herein, "dissolve" and "dissolution", and variations
thereof mean the material dissipates or disperses into a solution.
Such dissipation can be simply due to the material's solubility or
due to a chemical reaction, e.g., changing the material to a salt
form or complexation of the material.
[0018] As used herein, "loaded" in relation to a particulate
substrate being loaded with a precious metal or loaded with a
precious metal-containing coating means the precious metal or the
coating, as the case may be, adheres to a surface of the
particulate substrate. The adhesion can be by any adhering
mechanism such as by chemical bonding due to a chemical reaction
between the precious metal and the particulate substrate or by
physical adhesion from precipitation or deposition of the precious
metal onto the particulate substrate.
[0019] As used herein, "mineral material" means any material having
a mineral origin, including ores, ore concentrates, tailings from
prior mineral processing operations, and/or other residue from
prior mineral processing operations.
[0020] As used herein, "coating" in relation to a precious
metal-containing coating on a substrate means the precious metal is
present in a material phase that is adhered to at least a portion
of an outer surface of the particulate substrate. The "coating"
need not be continuous or uniform in thickness or composition.
[0021] As used herein, "selectively dissolving" and "selective
dissolution" each refers to leaching operation in which one
material (e.g., substrate material) is preferentially dissolved
into solution relative to another material (e.g., precious
metal).
[0022] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method
for separating a precious metal from a particulate substrate that
is loaded with a precious metal-containing coating. In a broad
sense the method comprises dissolving into a dissolution solution a
portion, but less than substantially all, of the particulate
substrate sufficiently to degrade adherence between the coating and
the particulate substrate to at least an extent to effect physical
release from the substrate of at least a portion, and preferably
substantially all, of the precious metal. The precious metal-loaded
particulate substrate is typically cementation product from mineral
processing operations for recovery of precious metal. The method of
the present invention could, however, be applied to remove precious
metal from other structures, including a precious metal-containing
coating supported on a substrate that is selectively dissolvable to
physically release at least a portion of the coating.
[0023] Typically, the precious metal is released in the form of a
precious metal-containing fine particulate, permitting easy
separation from the coarser particulate substrate by simple size
separation such as by the use of a size separation screen having
openings small enough to retain the particulate substrate and large
enough to pass the fine particulate containing the precious metal.
In one embodiment, it has been found that release of the precious
metal can be beneficially assisted by mechanical agitation. For
example, a slurry of the precious metal-coated particulate
substrate and the dissolution solution can be mixed, shaken or
vibrated to assist the physical release of the precious metal as
the adherence of the coating is being degraded by dissolution of a
portion of the particulate substrate. Preferably, the agitation
also assists in formation of the precious metal-containing fine
particulate through mechanical attrition. The particulate substrate
will typically have a weight average particle size of at least
about one order of magnitude larger than the fine particulate,
preferably at least about two orders of magnitude larger than the
fine particulate, and often even larger, so that it is easy to make
a size separation between the particulate substrate and the fine
particulate.
[0024] After separation of the particulate substrate from the
precious metal-containing fine particulate, then the fine
particulate can be separated from the dissolution solution, such as
by filtration, to provide a recovered precious metal-containing
product and a recovered dissolution solution. The recovered
precious metal-containing product can then be processed to prepare
a refined precious metal product, such as by smelting and/or other
techniques.
[0025] The method of the present invention typically involves
dissolving only a small portion of the particulate substrate, and
preferably only an amount just sufficient to effect the desired
physical release of the precious metal. By not requiring
dissolution of substantially all, or even a large portion, of the
particulate substrate, less of the particulate substrate is
consumed per unit weight of precious metal processed, thereby
reducing costs. Furthermore, by dissolving only a small portion of
the particulate substrate, most of the particulate substrate mass
is recovered in a particulate form that is sufficiently coarse to
be recycled for use to load with additional precious metal, such as
by further cementation. Typically, the amount of the particulate
substrate dissolved to effect release the precious metal is no
greater than about 25 weight percent of the particulate substrate,
preferably no greater than about 10 weight percent, more preferably
no greater than about 5 weight percent, even more preferably no
greater than about 2 weight percent, and most preferably no greater
than about 1 weight percent of the particulate substrate. Even
though only a small portion of the particulate substrate is
dissolved, most or substantially all of the precious metal is
typically released. Typically at least 90 weight percent of the
precious metal is released, more preferably at least 95 weight
percent of the precious metal is released and preferably at least
98 weight percent of the precious metal is released. In many cases,
it is possible to release substantially all of the precious metal
during the selective dissolution.
[0026] The particulate substrate will typically comprise a
non-precious metal, and preferably a base metal, in metallic form
suitable for cementation of the precious metal to be recovered. The
non-precious substrate metal can be any metal suitable for
cementation of the precious metal and that can be selectively
dissolved in the dissolution solution to effect the physical
release of the precious metal from the substrate. Exemplary base
metals suitable for use as the particulate substrate to recover
gold from thiosulfate leach solutions include copper, zinc, and
iron, with copper being particularly preferred. When recovering
gold from a cyanide leach solution, however, zinc is a preferred
base metal for use as the particulate substrate.
[0027] As noted above, the dissolution of a portion of the
particulate substrate in the dissolution solution should occur
without dissolving any significant portion of the precious metal
into the dissolution solution. Preferably, less than about 1 weight
% of the precious metal is dissolved into the dissolution solution.
More preferably, there is only a negligible or no dissolution of
the precious metal into the dissolution solution.
[0028] For each particular application of the method of the
invention, the dissolution solution should be selected to provide
the desired selectivity to dissolve material of the particulate
substrate relative to the precious metal to be recovered. Selection
of the dissolution solution will, therefore, depend upon the
particular composition of the particulate substrate and the
particular precious metal to be recovered. For example, for
recovery of gold deposited by cementation onto particulate copper
or zinc, preferred dissolution solutions include ammoniacal aqueous
solutions. A particularly preferred ammoniacal aqueous solution
includes at least one, and preferably both, of dissolved ammonia
and a dissolved ammonium salt. The pH of the ammoniacal aqueous
solution used as the dissolution solution is typically in the range
of from about pH 5 to about pH 12, with an alkaline pH being more
preferred.
[0029] The particulate substrate should be sized for easy
separation from the fine particulate that contains the precious
metal. Preferably, the weight average particle size of the
particulate substrate, and more preferably the size of
substantially all particles of the particulate substrate, is at
least about 100 mesh (0.149 mm), more preferably at least about 48
mesh (0.297 mm), even more preferably at least about 20 mesh (0.841
mm) and most preferably at least about 10 mesh (1.18 mm). By
referring to the particles as being at least a particular size, it
is meant that the particles will be retained on a screen having
openings of the designated size. Using such relatively coarse
particles for the particulate substrate makes handling and
processing much easier. This is a significant advantage over the
use of fine base metal powers for cementation of precious metal.
Typically, the particles of the particulate substrate will have a
maximum dimension that is smaller than 10 mm and more typically
smaller than 5 mm. Also, although the invention is described with
respect to a substrate in particulate form, in a broad sense the
invention is not so limited. Having the substrate in a course
particulate form is preferred for providing a relatively high
surface area for cementation and for easy handling and manipulation
of the substrate. The substrate in par could, however, be in any
form. And the concepts discussed with respect to use of a
particulate substrate apply equally to other substrate forms,
making accommodation only for the different form of the substrate.
Such alternative forms for the substrate include, for example,
metal bars, plates, or wire strands, although such alternative
forms are not preferred.
[0030] In one embodiment of the present invention, the method
includes loading the precious metal onto the particulate substrate
prior to the contacting with the dissolution solution. In this
embodiment the method includes leaching a precious metal-containing
mineral material with a leach solution to dissolve precious metal
to prepare a pregnant leach solution. The precious metal is then
removed from the pregnant leach solution and loaded onto the
particulate substrate, preferably by cementation, followed by
selective dissolution of a portion of the particulate substrate to
release the precious metal, as discussed above. The mineral
material being leached could be a whole ore, an ore concentrate, a
tailing from prior processing or other residue from prior mineral
processing. For example, the mineral material could be a
gold-bearing residue from prior oxidation of a refractory sulfide
gold ore. The oxidation could be accomplished by any technique,
such as bio-oxidation, roasting, pressure oxidation or chemical
oxidation.
[0031] The leach solution can be any solution, typically an aqueous
solution, capable of dissolving the precious metal from the mineral
material. Some exemplary aqueous leach solutions that are useful in
gold recovery operations include cyanide leach solutions, thiourea
leach solutions, and thiosulfate solutions, with thiosulfate leach
solutions being preferred for use with the present invention. For
preparing cyanide and thiosulfate leach solutions, ammonium and
alkali metal salts are typically used. Examples of cyanide reagents
used to prepare cyanide leach solutions include sodium cyanide and
potassium cyanide. Examples of thiosulfate reagents used to prepare
thiosulfate leach solutions include ammonium thiosulfate, sodium
thiosulfate, potassium thiosulfate and calcium thiosulfate.
Preparation of precious metal leach solutions is well known in the
mineral processing industry.
[0032] One particularly preferred embodiment of the present
invention provides a method for recovering gold from a thiosulfate
leach solution using coarse particulate copper as the particulate
substrate. It has been found with the present invention, for
example, that during cementation of gold from thiosulfate leach
solutions using copper, progressive formation of a passivating
substance occurs on the copper surface. Without being bound by any
theory, it is believed that the passivating substance comprises
copper oxide and/or copper sulfide. As this passivating layer
grows, the rate of gold cementation on the copper surface slows.
Thus, even if gold could be selectively dissolved to separate it
from a particulate copper substrate, the copper would not be of
practical use for further cementation due to the presence of the
passivation layer. It has been found with the present invention,
however, that when a portion of a copper substrate is selectively
dissolved to physically release the precious metal, it is possible
to remove the passivation layer. A preferred dissolution solution
includes an aqueous solution with dissolved ammonia and a dissolved
ammonium salt, such as a sulfate, nitrate or carbonate salt, with
the carbonate salt being preferred because such solutions will
ordinarily not dissolve any appreciable quantity of the precious
metal. Removal of the passivation layer helps to restore to the
copper substrate a high activity for further cementation. Thus,
with the present invention it is possible to remove gold from
particulate copper substrate and simultaneously remove the
passivation layer, so that the particulate copper substrate can be
recycled for cementation of additional gold. A fresh copper surface
is created that is desirable for high activity during cementation
operations.
[0033] In one particular aspect of gold recovery, the ammoniacal
dissolution solution is an aqueous solution comprising dissolved
ammonia and dissolved ammonium carbonate. It is believed that a
fresh copper surface is created by dissolving at least some of the
outer lay of the copper surface according to the following
reactions:
2 NH.sub.3+(NH.sub.4).sub.2CO.sub.3+Cu+1/2O.sub.2
<Cu(NH.sub.3).sub.4CO- .sub.3+H.sub.2O
4
NH.sub.3+2(NH.sub.4).sub.2CO.sub.3+Cu.sub.2O+1/2O.sub.2.fwdarw.2Cu(NH.su-
b.3).sub.4CO.sub.3+2H.sub.2O
2
NH.sub.3+(NH.sub.4).sub.2CO.sub.3+CuO.fwdarw.Cu(NH.sub.3).sub.4CO.sub.3+-
2H.sub.2O
[0034] It is believed that thermodynamically and/or kinetically the
dissolution of copper is significantly favored relative to
dissolution of gold, thereby allowing selective dissolution of
copper to effect a physical release of the gold coating from the
surface of the copper particles.
[0035] Referring now to FIG. 1, a generalized process flow diagram
is shown for one embodiment of the method of the present invention.
A particulate, precious metal-containing, mineral material feed 102
is contacted with a leach solution 104 in a leaching step 106. In
the leaching step 106, at least a portion of the precious metal
from the mineral material feed 102 is dissolved into the leach
solution 104. A pregnant leach solution 108, including the
dissolved precious metal, is processed in a cementation step 110.
In the cementation step 110, the pregnant leach solution 108 is
contacted with a particulate base metal 112 of an appropriate type
and under conditions sufficient to cause cementation of the
precious metal onto the particulate base metal 112. Barren leach
solution 114, from which most of the precious metal has been
removed in the cementation step 110, is removed from the
cementation step 110, optionally with some or all of the barren
leach solution 114 being recycled, after proper treatment as
necessary, for use as part of the leach solution 104. Precious
metal-loaded cementation product 116 is removed from the
cementation step 110 and fed to a selective dissolution step 118.
In the selective dissolution step 118, the cementation product 116
is contacted with a dissolution solution 120 of a type and under
conditions sufficient to selectively dissolve a small portion of
base metal substrate material from the cementation product 116,
without significant dissolution of the precious metal, to effect
physical release of most and preferably substantially all of the
precious metal contained in the cementation product 116. In a
coarse particulate separation step 122, stripped particulate base
metal 124, which is preferably substantially free of the precious
metal, is separated, such as by screening, from the dissolution
solution and from the fine particulate including the released
precious metal. This could be accomplished, for example, by
screening out the stripped particulate base metal, preferably with
a water wash of the particulate base metal to remove residual gold.
Optionally, some or all of the stripped particulate base metal 124
is recycled to form part of the particulate base metal 112. After
removal from the selective dissolution 118, the stripped
particulate base metal could be sized on a qualification screen,
with oversize particles being recycled and undersize particles
being rejected from further use. In a fine particulate separation
step 126, a precious metal-containing fine particulate sludge 128
is separated from the dissolution solution, such as by filtration.
The fine particulate sludge 128 can then be dried and sent to a
precious metal refining operation, such as a smelter or other
operation, to prepare a purified precious metal product.
Optionally, all or a portion of effluent dissolution solution 130,
after proper treatment as necessary, is recycled for use as part of
the leach solution 104. Recycle to the leach solution 104 of at
least a portion, and preferably all, of the effluent dissolution
130 is advantageous, because copper-ammonia complex in the effluent
dissolution solution 130 can be beneficially used as an oxidizer in
the leach solution 104.
[0036] With continued reference to FIG. 1, the selective
dissolution 118 is preferably conducted with agitation to promote
physical removal of the precious metal-containing coating from the
cementation product 116. This may be accomplished, for example, by
mixing, sparging a gas during the operation, ultrasonic vibration
of the mixture, shaking the process vessel, or any other technique.
Also, the selective dissolution could be performed in a single
stage or would involve a multi-stage operation. For example, the
selective dissolution 118 could include a first selective
dissolution stage in which the cementation product 116 is contacted
with a first portion of the dissolution solution 120 to effect
physical removal from the cementation product 116 of a majority of
the precious metal. The resulting particulate base metal particles
might still contain a small amount of the precious metal. The
particulate base metal could be separated by screening, typically
accompanied by a water wash to remove residual gold, and the
particulate base metal could then be subjected to a second
selective dissolution stage. In the second selective dissolution
stage, the particulate base metal, still loaded with at least some
of the precious metal, would be contacted with a second portion of
the dissolution solution 120 to physically remove additional
precious metal from the particulate base metal. The resulting
stripped particulate base metal 124 would then be separated in the
coarse particulate separation step 122, as previously discussed. It
is possible that the first portion of the dissolution solution used
in such a first selective dissolution stage could have a different
composition than the second portion of the dissolution solution
used in such a second selective dissolution stage.
[0037] Referring now to FIG. 2, a generalized process flow diagram
is shown for another embodiment of the present invention. The
general process as shown in FIG. 2 is the same as that shown in
FIG. 1, except that the process shown in FIG. 2 includes two
selective dissolution steps. Reference numerals in FIG. 2 are the
same as those in FIG. 1, except as noted.
[0038] As shown in FIG. 2, after the cementation 110, the precious
metal-loaded particulate base metal 116 is fed to a first selective
dissolution step 119, which is the same as the selective
dissolution step 118 of FIG. 1. The first selective dissolution
step 119 could include multiple stages, as discussed previously.
Following the fine particulate separation step 126, the precious
metal-containing fine particulate sludge 128 is subjected to a
second selective dissolution step 140 where additional base metal
is dissolved from the fine particulate sludge 128 to prepare a
concentrated product 142 that is more concentrated in the precious
metal than is the fine particulate sludge 128. During the second
selective dissolution 140, at least a portion of the fine
particulate sludge 128 is contacted with a selective leach solution
144 to selectively leach from the fine particulate sludge 128 at
least a portion of the base metal, while substantially not
dissolving, or dissolving only a very small amount of, the precious
metal from the fine particulate sludge 128. Exiting the second
selective dissolution 140 is a pregnant selective leach solution
146 including dissolved base metal removed from the fine
particulate sludge 128. Preferably, at least 50% of the base metal
is removed during the second selective dissolution step 140, and
more preferably at least 75% of the base metal is removed. In a
preferred embodiment, the base metal comprises no more than 10
weight percent of the concentrated product 142, which condition is
particularly desirable for reducing costs associated with
subsequent smelting and refining operations to produce a purified
precious metal product.
[0039] With continued reference to FIG. 2, the selective leach
solution 144 may be any solution suitable for selectively
dissolving the base metal, but will typically be an acidic aqueous
solution in which the base metal is readily soluble and in which
the precious metal is substantially insoluble or only slightly
soluble. For example, when the base metal is copper and the
precious metal is gold, a concentrated nitric acid solution can be
used as the selective leach solution 144. Such a concentrated
nitric acid solution will rapidly dissolve most of the copper,
including copper-containing compound(s) such as copper sulfides and
oxides that may be present in the fine particulate sludge 128,
substantially increasing the gold concentration in the concentrated
product 142. The effect is that the gold concentration in the
concentrated product 142 is much higher than in the fine
particulate sludge. For example, tests using concentrated nitric
acid have produced resulted in a product with less than 10 weight
copper and containing approximately 6,000 to 18,000 ounces of gold
per ton of the product.
[0040] Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of this
invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon
examination of the following examples thereof, which are not
intended to be limiting.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
[0041] Two sets of gold-loaded copper particles are prepared
(labeled as A-770 and B-720) by cementation of gold onto clean
copper particles. The copper particles are obtained by cutting
scrap copper wire into pieces generally in a size range of about 6
mesh to 10 mesh (3.36 mm to 1.68 mm). The gold has been loaded onto
the copper particles by cementation from an ammonium thiosulfate
solution pregnant with dissolved gold. Samples of the gold-loaded
copper particles are then stripped by contacting the particles with
a dissolution solution to physically release the gold. For each
test, a sample of about two grams of the gold-loaded copper
particles are paced in either a 250 mL or 500 mL flask along with
the dissolution solution at a weight ratio of dissolution solution
to gold-loaded copper particles of about 10:1. The dissolution
solution is an aqueous solution containing either 1.7 g/L NH.sub.3
(0.1 M NH.sub.3) or 3.4 g/L NH.sub.3 (0.2 M NH.sub.3) and either
9.6 g/L (NH.sub.4).sub.2CO.sub.3 (0.1 M (NH.sub.4).sub.2CO.sub.3)
or 19.2 g/L (NH.sub.4).sub.2CO.sub.3 (0.2 M
(NH.sub.4).sub.2CO.sub.3). For each test, the flask containing the
gold-loaded copper particle(s) and dissolution solution is placed
on a shaker table (Control-Speed Lab-Line Environ Shaker Table) for
either 30 minutes or 60 minutes, after which the contents of the
flask are removed. Fine particle sludge appears in the flask from
gold-containing coating that has been released from the copper
particles. The copper particles are separated from fine particle
sludge through a 20-mesh (0.841 mm) screen. The copper particles
are retained on the screen and the fine particulate sludge and
dissolution solution pass through the screen. The copper particles
are washed on the screen with water to remove residual
gold-containing sludge. The fine particulate sludge is then
recovered by filtration. Fine particulate sludge recovered for all
tests on A-770 samples are combined and assayed for gold content.
Fine particulate sludge recovered for all tests on B-720 samples
are combined and assayed for gold content. The dissolution solution
from each test is analyzed for dissolved gold and copper content.
Results for ten tests (five on each set of gold loaded particles)
are tabulated in Table 1.
[0042] As seen in Table 1, the fine particulate sludge assayed
about 3242 ounces of gold per ton for the combined A-770 samples
and about 2622 ounces of gold per ton for the combined B-720
samples. This compares favorably to cementation product currently
produced at Newmont Mining Corporation's Carlin Mine located in
Nevada, U.S.A. At the Carlin Mine, gold is recovered by thiosulfate
leaching followed by cementation of the gold onto a copper powder
sized at about 10 microns. At Carlin, the cementation product is
recovered by filtration in a frame filter press with the addition
of diatomaceous earth as a filter aid. This recovered cementation
product at Carlin typically contains only about 1000 ounces of gold
per ton of product recovered from the frame filter press. Results
of the tests are noteworthy not only because of the high gold
content in the sludge, but also because of the relatively
uncomplicated process involved, providing significant operational
advantages over the use of fine copper powder for cementation.
[0043] Also as shown in Table 1, analysis of the dissolution
solution shows no detectable dissolution of gold in any of the
tests. In all tests, the gold remains in a solid form throughout.
Also, a maximum of only 2.8% of the copper originally in the
particulate copper particles is dissolved into the dissolution
solution (Test 4) with most tests showing significantly lower
levels of copper dissolution. Except for tests 5 and 10, the
dissolution of copper is sufficiently high to effect good physical
separation of the gold. Tests 5 and 10 include no ammonium
carbonate in the dissolution solution, resulting in insufficient
dissolution of copper, for any significant physical release of
gold. For all tests except Tests 5 and 10, after treatment with the
dissolution solution the copper particles have a bright, shiny
copper color.
1 TABLE 1 Loaded Cu-Beads Dissolution Solution Stripping
Eluant.sup.(4) Dissolved Sludge Recovered Test Weight Weight
NH.sub.3 (NH.sub.4).sub.2CO.sub.3 Time Au Cu Au Cu.sup.(2) Au Cu
No. ID grams grams M g/l M g/l mins mg/L mg/L %.sup.(1) %.sup.(1)
Opt.sup.(2) %.sup.(1) 1 A-770 2.0067 20.0 0.1 1.7 0.1 9.6 30 0 706
0 0.70 Mixed Sludge 2 A-700 2.0212 20.0 0.1 1.7 0.1 9.6 60 0 1295 0
1.28 3 A-700 2.0196 20.0 0.2 3.4 0.2 19.2 30 0 1250 0 1.24 4 A-700
2.0009 20.0 0.2 3.4 0.2 19.2 60 0 2800 0 2.8 5 A-700 2.0280 20.0
0.2 3.4 0 0 60 0 15 0 0.01 3243.63 50.95 6 B-720 2.0226 20.0 0.1
1.7 0.1 9.6 30 0 747 0 0.74 Mixed Sludge 7 B-720 2.0109 20.0 0.1
1.7 0.1 9.6 60 0 1300 0 1.29 8 B-720 2.0117 20.0 0.2 3.4 0.2 19.2
30 0 1700 0 1.69 9 B-720 2.0123 20.0 0.2 3.4 0.2 19.2 60 0 2795 0
2.78 10 B-720 2.0033 20.0 0.2 3.4 0 0 60 0 26 0 0.03 2622.11 57.71
.sup.(1)By weight .sup.(2)Based on weight of original copper bead
.sup.(3)Ounces per ton .sup.(4)Dissolution solution following
completion of stripping operation
Example 2
[0044] This example demonstrates that copper particles reused after
removal of cementation gold have a high activity for further
cementation. Cyclic cementation-stripping tests are preformed on
coarse copper particles. Freshly prepared coarse copper particles
are initially used in a first cementation cycle (Cycle-1), during
which the copper particles are loaded with gold by cementation and
then the gold is stripped from the gold-loaded copper particles by
selective dissolution of a small portion of the copper into an
ammonia-ammonium carbonate solution. The stripped copper particles
are recovered and recycled for further cementation of gold. A total
of 4 cycles of cementation-stripping are tested.
[0045] Cementation is conducted in three columns arranged in
series. The size of each column is 1.4 cm diameter.times.10 cm
long. About 90 g of the fresh copper particles are placed in each
column. The copper particles are generally sized in a range of
about 6 to 10 mesh (3.36 mm to 1.68 mm). A pregnant thiosulfate
solution (approximately 0.1 M ammonium thiosulfate) containing
about 2 ppm of dissolved gold is prepared and the pH is adjusted
using ammonia to about pH 8.8. The pregnant thiosulfate solution is
passed through the columns to contact the copper particles for
cementation of gold onto the copper particles. The pregnant
thiosulfate solution is initially passed through the first column
and then inserses through the second and the third columns. The
residence time in the packed portion of each column is about 1
minute and 10 seconds. Each cycle continues for about 23-24 hours
of cementation, and then the gold-loaded copper particles are
removed from the first column for stripping gold (i.e., removing
the gold from the copper particles by selective dissolution of a
small portion of the copper). The recovered gold sludge is analyzed
for gold and copper content. The stripped copper particles are then
used in the next cementation cycle. This is accomplished by moving
the second column into the first position in series and the third
column into the second position in series and loading the stripped
copper particles into what was previously the first column, which
takes the third position in the new series. The procedure is
repeated until completion of four cycles, so that the copper
particles originally in the first position in series during the
first cycle cementation have been rotated through all three
positions and again occupy the first position in series during the
fourth cycle cementation. In this way, the activity stripped copper
particles for reuse as a cementation substrate is evaluated.
Thiosulfate solution samples are taken at various times during each
cycle and at the end of each cycle and the samples are analyzed to
determine dissolved gold and copper content, from which gold
recovery from the thiosulfate solution and the level of copper
dissolution are determined. Table 2 shows attributes of the
pregnant thiosulfate solution fed to each of the cementation
cycles.
2TABLE 2 Pregnant ATS Solution Au ATS.sup.(1) Cu Test No.
ppm.sup.(1) g/L pH mg/L Cycle-1 2.02 14.66 8.84 68.42 Cycle-2 2.01
14.89 8.83 81.00 Cycle-3 2.15 14.69 8.55 52.79 Cycle-3 2.14 14.41
8.56 49.82 .sup.(1)Ammonium thiosulfate
[0046] Different procedures are tested for stripping gold from the
gold-loaded copper particles removed from the first column during
each cycle. The procedure followed for each cycle is as
follows:
[0047] Cycle-1:
[0048] The gold-loaded copper particles are removed from the first
column, rinsed with water overnight, and stripped with an ammonical
dissolution solution (0.2 M NH.sub.3 and 0.2 M
(NH.sub.4).sub.2CO.sub.3) at room temperature. The weight ratio of
dissolution solution to solids is 5:1. During the stripping, a
small portion of the copper is selectively dissolved into the
dissolution solution to effect physical release of gold in a solid
state. The stripping is performed in a shaker flask that is shaken
for one hour. The stripped copper particles have a bright and shiny
copper color.
[0049] Cycle-2:
[0050] The gold-loaded copper particles, are removed from the first
column but are not washed, and remain wet with the ammonium
thiosulfate solution for two hours prior to stripping. The
stripping uses a dissolution solution and stripping conditions as
described for the Cycle-1 test. The stripped copper particles
appear clean, but slightly tarnished.
[0051] Cycle-3:
[0052] The gold-loaded copper particles are removed from the first
column and are rinsed with water and then stripped. During the
stripping, the gold-loaded copper particles are mixed with the
dissolution solution (same composition as for Cycle 1) at a 5:1
liquid to solids ratio and air is bubbled through the mixture for
one hour at room temperature. The stripped copper particles appear
clean, with a tarnished shiny bronze color.
[0053] Cycle-4:
[0054] The gold-loaded copper particles are removed from the first
column, rinsed with water, exposed to air for 2 hours and then
stripped as in Cycle 3. The stripped copper particles appear clean,
with a tarnished shiny bronze color.
[0055] Because the quantity of gold-containing sludge obtained from
each stripping cycle was small, the sludges from all four stripping
cycles are combined and assayed. The combined sludge assays at
2071.1 ounces of gold per standard ton and 59.1 weight percent
copper.
[0056] Table 3 summarizes results concerning cementation activity
during each of the cementation cycles. As seen in Table 3, the
results indicate that cementation activity of copper particles
being reused after stripping is similar to the activity of the
original, freshly prepared copper particles, based on gold recovery
from the thiosulfate solution. Gold recovery is determined by
comparing the gold concentration in the barren thiosulfate solution
with that in the original pregnant thiosulfate solution.
3 TABLE 3 Cu Sample Barren Thiosulfate Solution Gold Test Column
Particles Collected Vol. ATS Au Cu Recovery No. No. grams after hrs
liters g/L pH mg/L mg/L % Cycle-1 1 90.9939 3 14.84 8.82 0.18 73.43
91.09 19 14.60 8.84 0.13 71.56 93.56 23 14.48 8.74 0.12 94.60 94.06
2 90.8396 3 14.75 8.82 0.02 76.76 99.01 19 14.70 8.83 <0.01
72.97 .about.100 23 14.44 8.73 0.01 88.62 .about.100 3 90.7721 3
14.86 8.81 <0.01 79.69 .about.100 19 14.73 8.84 <0.01 73.82
.about.100 23 14.44 8.74 <0.01 85.14 .about.100 Total Barren
Solution 7.200 14.63 8.80 <0.01 77.52 .about.100 Cycle-2 1
90.8951 5 14.77 8.83 0.20 82.50 90.05 23.25 14.25 8.83 <0.01
84.50 .about.100 2 90.9465 5 14.77 8.83 <0.01 85.20 .about.100
23.25 14.27 8.83 <0.01 86.60 .about.100 3 90.8396 5 14.77 8.83
<0.01 89.30 .about.100 23.25 14.22 8.83 <0.01 90.80
.about.100 Total Barren Solution 7.200 14.79 8.84 <0.01 102.80
.about.100 Cycle-3 1 90.9465 5 14.48 8.55 0.27 55.78 87.44 23 14.44
8.51 0.03 56.51 98.60 2 90.8396 5 14.51 8.54 <0.01 58.47
.about.100 23 14.46 8.52 0.01 71.99 99.53 3 90.7721 5 14.48 8.53
0.02 75.19 99.07 23 14.49 8.52 <0.01 76.17 .about.100 Total
Barren Solution 7.200 14.38 8.52 <0.01 64.62 .about.100 Cycle-4
1 90.8396 5 14.80 8.55 0.15 54.57 92.99 23 14.41 8.51 0.01 57.90
99.53 2 90.7721 5 14.58 8.54 <0.01 61.60 .about.100 23 14.46
8.52 0.01 60.55 99.53 3 90.8514 5 14.44 8.53 0.01 62.93 99.53 23
14.41 8.52 <0.01 61.34 .about.100 Total Barren Solution 7.200
14.41 8.52 <0.01 74.79 .about.100 .sup.(1)grams of ammonium
thiosulfate per liter of solution
[0057] The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented
for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not
intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed
herein. For example, any feature of any disclosed embodiment may be
combined in any compatible way with any other feature described in
any other embodiment. Also, additional features or steps may be
added to those features and steps described for any embodiment.
Also, although the description of the invention has included
description of one or more embodiments and certain variations and
modifications, other variations and modifications are within the
scope of the invention, e.g., as may be within the skill and
knowledge of those skilled in the art considering the present
disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include
alternative embodiments to the extent permitted, including
alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,
ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate,
interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or
steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly
dedicate any patentable subject matter. Furthermore, the term
comprising and forms thereof as used herein do not limit the
invention to exclude variations of or additions to embodiments of
the invention described or claimed herein.
* * * * *