Ammonium thiosulfate is an alternative lixiviant for the hydrometallurgical treatment of sulfide gold ores. The present study is primarily focused on ammonium thiosulfate leaching of gold (Au) and silver (Ag) from the sulfide ore (Sunshin mine in South Korea). The main chemical composition of the concentrate was Au (84 ppm), Ag (852 ppm), Fe (18.9%), Si (23.2%), and S (21.1%). The effects of various parameters on the process, such as leaching time (1–4 h), ammonium thiosulfate concentration (0.05–0.5 M), copper sulfate (CuSO₄), concentration (0.05–0.25 M), solid to liquid ratio (0.2–0.5), and reaction temperature (40–60 °C) were systematically examined. Optimum Au leaching efficiency (>99%) was obtained under the following leaching conditions: 0.5 M ammonium thiosulfate with 0.05 M CuSO₄ concentration, 0.2 S/L ratio at 60 °C for 2 h. The results indicate that the behavior of Ag was similar to that of Au. Almost complete dissolution of Ag occurred under following leaching conditions: 0.5 M ammonium thiosulfate with 0.05 M CuSO₄ concentration at 60 °C for 4 h. This study would be useful in understanding the eco-friendly leaching systems of Au and Ag during the hydrometallurgical process of sulfide gold ore.

中文翻译：

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硫代硫酸铵从浓缩硫化矿中金和银的浸出行为

硫代硫酸铵是硫化金矿石的湿法冶金处理的另一种浸滤剂。本研究主要集中在硫代硫酸铵从硫化矿石（韩国Sunshin矿）浸出金（Au）和银（Ag）的过程中。精矿的主要化学成分是Au（84 ppm），Ag（852 ppm），Fe（18.9％），Si（23.2％）和S（21.1％）。各种参数对工艺的影响，例如浸出时间（1-4小时），硫代硫酸铵浓度（0.05-0.5 M），硫酸铜（CuSO ₄），浓度（0.05-0.25 M），固液比（ 0.2–0.5）和反应温度（40–60°C）进行了系统检查。在以下浸出条件下可获得最佳的金浸出效率（> 99％）：0.5 M的硫代硫酸铵和0.05 M的CuSO ₄浓度为0.2 S / L，在60°C下放置2 h。结果表明，Ag的行为与Au相似。在以下浸出条件下，Ag几乎完全溶解：0.5 M的硫代硫酸铵和0.05 M CuSO _4的浓度在60°C下持续4 h。这项研究将有助于理解硫化金矿湿法冶金过程中金和银的环保浸出系统。