Au(III) recovery from aqueous systems

The recovery of various metal ions in hydrometallurgical processes, whether from the ore or from the recycling of metals, is a multi-stage process that allows for the selective recovery of the metal ion of interest from the leach solutions. In this regard, the development of novel adsorbents represents a promising field of research for these processes. The present study examines the use of silica mesopores modified with magnetite (MS–N3–Fe) in the removal of Au(III) in H2O/HCl systems. The results show that MS–N3–Fe is capable of quantitatively recovering Au(III) from aqueous solutions with high efficiency, with a removal capacity exceeding 95% across the entire concentration range investigated. The analysis of the adsorption kinetics demonstrated that the system exhibited a markedly tendency towards equilibrium, thereby establishing the viability of the [AuCl4] - adsorption process with MSN3–Fe.