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| Carbon Use in Gold Recovery |
| Updated 11/5/2006 |
| As you can see, carbon-in-line can be used effectively in modern gold recovery, as an agent for separating gold from liquid leaches. |
Less commonly known is it's use in passively recovering gold from rivers, wells, and a variety of
settings where the level of gold (parts per million) is small, but as gravity brings the water by the
carbon, and the "Vanderwaal" electrical attraction makes it stick to carbon, the labor involved is
near zero, and substantial amounts, not only of gold, but silver, platinums and other metals can be
recovered with ease.
We are presently recovering from rivers in our area of Pennsylvania, and most every state has some
recoverable gold. Those fortunate enough to live in known gold-bearing areas may take advantage
of wells already tapping the gold ores underground, or from agricultural waters in ditches, flowing
from gold-bearing rivers.
A short list of gold-bearing rivers: ;
Kuskokwim and Copper rivers of Alaska, Alder Gulch near Virginia City, Montana; Helena district
of the Missouri river; the Clark Fork of the Columbia river near Butte; in the Boise Basin,Salmon
river and tributaries, along with the Snake river of Idaho; the Feather, American, Sacramento,
Mokelumne, Consumnes, Calaveras and Yuba rivers of California.
These and thousands of other rivers and streams world wide daily send the fine flour, flakes and
molecular gold downstream to the great oceans of the world, or to settle out in many lakes.
You can intercept these flowing gold rivers with a variety of techniques, including direct filtration
in high-density areas, and more subtle carbon recovery in strictly passive ways, diverting flows to
run through your recovery system briefly, and returning the clean water to the source when you are
done.
No pollution or disturbances are created by this method, and wildlife is not affected.
Best of all, the overall expenses are low, labor is very minimal, as the water flows do all the work.
settings where the level of gold (parts per million) is small, but as gravity brings the water by the
carbon, and the "Vanderwaal" electrical attraction makes it stick to carbon, the labor involved is
near zero, and substantial amounts, not only of gold, but silver, platinums and other metals can be
recovered with ease.
We are presently recovering from rivers in our area of Pennsylvania, and most every state has some
recoverable gold. Those fortunate enough to live in known gold-bearing areas may take advantage
of wells already tapping the gold ores underground, or from agricultural waters in ditches, flowing
from gold-bearing rivers.
A short list of gold-bearing rivers: ;
Kuskokwim and Copper rivers of Alaska, Alder Gulch near Virginia City, Montana; Helena district
of the Missouri river; the Clark Fork of the Columbia river near Butte; in the Boise Basin,Salmon
river and tributaries, along with the Snake river of Idaho; the Feather, American, Sacramento,
Mokelumne, Consumnes, Calaveras and Yuba rivers of California.
These and thousands of other rivers and streams world wide daily send the fine flour, flakes and
molecular gold downstream to the great oceans of the world, or to settle out in many lakes.
You can intercept these flowing gold rivers with a variety of techniques, including direct filtration
in high-density areas, and more subtle carbon recovery in strictly passive ways, diverting flows to
run through your recovery system briefly, and returning the clean water to the source when you are
done.
No pollution or disturbances are created by this method, and wildlife is not affected.
Best of all, the overall expenses are low, labor is very minimal, as the water flows do all the work.
| Keys to Carbon Recovery |
You may be thinking...I've heard about beads....Carbon...DE...so many choices...what does the job?
What works in my situation?
Like making a cake...choice of ingredients determines the outcome.
Here are some of the basics;
Our friend Carbon has abilities, and liabilities.
It works best when Coconut, treated, graded varieties are used, free of dust.
Forget Charcoal Briquettes for the BBQ. They are primarily coal dust, loaded with petrochemicals,
regardless of what the bag says.
Carbon works best when the gold/etc. is very small, like the "Invisible" stuff flowing in rivers, or
with leaches you have extracted. It does not care what PH exists. In otherwords...it gathers
dissolved gold and PM's.
You need to make sure the gold waters pass through the carbon slowly as possible.
For example; if you have a BIG water flow to deal with, put it into a tank or pond for the Carbon
to work on 24/7, while other stuff is going on...Keep your carbon STILL.
If it rubs, bounces and moves around, the outer layers that are full of gold will rub off, float away,
and you have defeated your purpose. You can load pipes with carbon, to sit in line with your
recovery filtration, or recover the gold, etc. from leaching efforts if you wish.
Carbon is very forgiving and easy to use. One thing's for sure...it will gather the gold that you were
losing before.
What works in my situation?
Like making a cake...choice of ingredients determines the outcome.
Here are some of the basics;
Our friend Carbon has abilities, and liabilities.
It works best when Coconut, treated, graded varieties are used, free of dust.
Forget Charcoal Briquettes for the BBQ. They are primarily coal dust, loaded with petrochemicals,
regardless of what the bag says.
Carbon works best when the gold/etc. is very small, like the "Invisible" stuff flowing in rivers, or
with leaches you have extracted. It does not care what PH exists. In otherwords...it gathers
dissolved gold and PM's.
You need to make sure the gold waters pass through the carbon slowly as possible.
For example; if you have a BIG water flow to deal with, put it into a tank or pond for the Carbon
to work on 24/7, while other stuff is going on...Keep your carbon STILL.
If it rubs, bounces and moves around, the outer layers that are full of gold will rub off, float away,
and you have defeated your purpose. You can load pipes with carbon, to sit in line with your
recovery filtration, or recover the gold, etc. from leaching efforts if you wish.
Carbon is very forgiving and easy to use. One thing's for sure...it will gather the gold that you were
losing before.
By contrast..Resin beads, which were developed to recover gold from Cyanide Leaching initially,
have a very narrow range of activity, and must be ordered and used specifically to match the exact
formulation of leach you are using...There is no "One size fit's all" resin recovery system.
In streams, the same problem exists..the water may too acid, too alkaline, to loaded with calcium,
etc., the list is a long one...AND, after long talks with the prime manufacturer, DOW Chemical, they
neither make, nor recommend any resin bead of theirs for gold recovery outside of the Cyanide
Leach route, or as polishing for water systems, but specific-only for minerals other than gold (iron,
selenium, etc.)
Their attitude about the subject is that those offering them for sale as Universal Gold Recovery
items are selling "Snake Oil".
Stripping it is difficult...and ashing it will have the neighbors calling 911, as the smoke and smell are
not to be believed.
have a very narrow range of activity, and must be ordered and used specifically to match the exact
formulation of leach you are using...There is no "One size fit's all" resin recovery system.
In streams, the same problem exists..the water may too acid, too alkaline, to loaded with calcium,
etc., the list is a long one...AND, after long talks with the prime manufacturer, DOW Chemical, they
neither make, nor recommend any resin bead of theirs for gold recovery outside of the Cyanide
Leach route, or as polishing for water systems, but specific-only for minerals other than gold (iron,
selenium, etc.)
Their attitude about the subject is that those offering them for sale as Universal Gold Recovery
items are selling "Snake Oil".
Stripping it is difficult...and ashing it will have the neighbors calling 911, as the smoke and smell are
not to be believed.
| Super Carbon Fabric |
Carbon Felt......Developed as a NASA insulating material, has now evolved into GOLD and Precious
Metals recovery material. These fabrics are unaffected by most acids and bases, have terrific
ability to attract and hold precious metals, and can be coupled to electrical devices to actually
"Plate" the metals directly out of aqueous streams. Works in high-volume water treatment, from
Rivers, streams, or precious metals at the colloidal or molecular level........
Metals recovery material. These fabrics are unaffected by most acids and bases, have terrific
ability to attract and hold precious metals, and can be coupled to electrical devices to actually
"Plate" the metals directly out of aqueous streams. Works in high-volume water treatment, from
Rivers, streams, or precious metals at the colloidal or molecular level........
What's so special about this Carbon Fabric?
No more lost gold or PGM's from abrasion of Carbon particles while collecting, or in the leach
tanks during processing.
No more having to "ASH" the carbon to recover values.
Bags and Cartridges can go right into Aqua Regia directly, for near Instantaneous stripping of
metals values, or use "Halox" to strip it, albeit slower.
It is Re-usable. We have used many of these dozens of times, with little wear. All parts are
acid-and base tolerant to chemical soups. Water is their natural friend, and can be used at any
point of the recovery process...from natural rivers, to leach streams pumped in commercial circuits.
Electrical Properties
"Super Carbon Fabric" has remarkable electrical properties, capable of being electrified even
further by low voltage, high amperage DC sources, like a 12 volt charger, to collect PM's at rates
up to 100 times as fast as conventional carbon particles, made for the gold industry.
No more lost gold or PGM's from abrasion of Carbon particles while collecting, or in the leach
tanks during processing.
No more having to "ASH" the carbon to recover values.
Bags and Cartridges can go right into Aqua Regia directly, for near Instantaneous stripping of
metals values, or use "Halox" to strip it, albeit slower.
It is Re-usable. We have used many of these dozens of times, with little wear. All parts are
acid-and base tolerant to chemical soups. Water is their natural friend, and can be used at any
point of the recovery process...from natural rivers, to leach streams pumped in commercial circuits.
Electrical Properties
"Super Carbon Fabric" has remarkable electrical properties, capable of being electrified even
further by low voltage, high amperage DC sources, like a 12 volt charger, to collect PM's at rates
up to 100 times as fast as conventional carbon particles, made for the gold industry.