Gold electrowinning from aqueous–alcoholic thiourea solutions

Abstract Laboratory investigations on the kinetics of gold electrowinning from acidic thiourea solutions containing alcohol admixture which can be obtained by gold elution from activated carbon in the processing of gold-bearing raw materials have been carried out as depending on temperature, current intensity and type of the cathode material. It has been found that a high gold recovery (96%–100%) can be obtained under suitable conditions (especially at elevated temperature of 60°C). The current efficiencies in the experimental conditions were in the range of 0.5%–1% and the energy consumption can be less than 15 kW h kg −1 of gold using a platinum mesh cathode.