Sonic Method and Apparatus for Winning Minerals From Liquid Carriers

This invention relates to the winning of minerals from liquid carriers and more particularly to the use of sonic energy in enhancing this operation.

An effective technique for use in the leaching or extraction of minerals from ore is described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,800 issued Jan. 28, 1986. In the operation described in said patent, sonic energy is applied to a leaching solution mixed with mineral ore to effect the dissolution or entrainment of mineral particles into the solution thus separating them from the parent ore material. The present invention is concerned with a method and apparatus for winning the mineral from the leached solution in which it is dissolved or entrained.

It has been found that mineral can be extracted or won from a carrier liquid by an electrolytic effect established between two dissimilar materials such as gold and carbon or copper and steel. This process can be enhanced by means of externally generated electrical potentials but in many instances, the external potential is not required. Thus, it has been found that if carbon material is placed in contact with a liquid carrier containing gold salts that the gold will gravitate to the carbon and deposit itself thereon, this being an effective technique for winning the gold from the carrier. It has been found that quite often the deposited mineral has traces of impurities such as fine clay which poisons the collection surface and thus ruins its effectivity in gathering the mineral particles. Further, the mineral often tends to build up on the collection surface, forming protuberances which can short out electrodes where externally applied voltage is employed.

The method of the present invention obviates the aforementioned shortcomings by employing sonic energy which acts to effectively clean the collection surfaces of impurities and to shed a buildup of the mineral on such surfaces so that the mineral can be easily collected. Further, this sonic energy tends to enhance the migration of the mineral particles to the material on which it is deposited. Moreover, the sonic energy will "finish" the actual prior leaching step by causing the leaching solution to further act upon remaining ore particles in the mixture.

This end result is achieved in the present invention by suspending a box member containing the collection material, which may be in the form of particles or filaments, in the leaching solution in which the mineral, and possibly some ore material, is being carried. This box member has liquid permeable sides which may be formed by apertures or by fabricating such sides of porous materials such that the particles of mineral are free to migrate to the interior of the box. An elastic member which may be a steel plate is suspended in the solution immediately opposite the box member, this elastic member having an orbiting mass oscillator attached thereto. This oscillator is driven at a sonic frequency such as to set up sonic elastic vibration of the elastic member. The sonic energy transmitted from the elastic member into the liquid carrier effectively removes foreign particles such as fine clay from the collection material in the box and further peels off mineral material deposited on the collection material so that this material can drop to the bottom of the liquid container for collection. In addition the sonic energy enhances the migration of the mineral particles to the collection material by agitating such particles. Also as mentioned the transmission of sonic energy into the mixture will cause further final leaching from ore particles in said mixture.

It is therefore an object of this invention to facilitate the winning of minerals from liquid carriers and ores by means of sonic energy.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view with partial cut-away section illustrating the method of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the plane indicated by 2--2 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the plane indicated by 3--3 in FIG. 2.

Referring to the Figures tank 11 contains a leaching solution or mixture 12 in which mineral particles are either dissolved or suspended. Plate member 14, which may be of a suitable elastic material such as steel; has the housing of orbiting mass oscillator 16 fixedly attached thereto. Mounted on plate 14 on suitable conventional vibration isolators which may be rubber mounts or the like (not shown) is motor 18, the drive shaft 18a of which is coupled to the rotor of oscillator 16. Orbiting mass oscillator 16 may be an oscillator such as described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,129 issued May 5, 1981 and having an eccentric mass rotor. Plate member 14 is suspended within leaching solution 12 by suitable means such as cables (not shown).

Rectangular box member 19 has walls which are pervious to liquid by virtue of apertures formed therein or by use of a porous material for these walls, such that liquid is free to enter the interior of the box. Contained within box 19 are particles or filaments 21 of a material such as carbon. The top end of box 19 has a suspension member 20 attached thereto by means of which the box can be suspended in the leaching solution 12 directly opposite plate member 14. While carbon particles are employed in the illustrative example which involves the winning of gold from the carrier, other materials such as steel shavings would be used if the mineral were copper, etc. Oscillator 16 is preferably driven at a frequency such as to set up resonant standing wave vibration of plate member 14.

The sonic energy effectively removes impurities and other foreign matter from the carbon and peels off accumulations of gold from the surfaces of the carbon material such that the gold drops to the bottom of container 11 from where it can later be removed. Further, the sonic energy facilitates the migration of the mineral to the carbon particles by virtue of the stirring or agitating and leaching effect that it produces in the liquid. In addition the sonic energy operates to complete the leaching of any last patticles of the ore which may remain.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that this is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of the invention being limited only by the terms of the following claims.