Key factors for choosing golden charcoal

In the gold refining and processing industry, coconut shell activated carbon has become an indispensable adsorption material due to its unique physical and chemical properties. Its excellent adsorption performance not only effectively captures trace amounts of gold in the solution, but also maintains stable operating efficiency in complex environments, which is a key link in improving gold recovery and economy.

Activated carbon plays a crucial role in the process of gold extraction because it is an important substance for adsorbing gold. Therefore, the various indicators of activated carbon will also have an impact on gold recycling. The following 8 properties are very important when choosing activated carbon for gold recycling.

1.Raw Materials

Raw material selection is the key to the quality of gold charcoal. Choosing thicker coconut shells with low volatile, low moisture and high fixed carbon content will produce stronger and thicker activated carbon, lower ash, and better gold adsorption capacity and efficiency. We use coconut shells that are more than 30 years old in tropical areas such as the Philippines. The honeycomb pores formed by their fiber structure are 40% higher than those of ordinary wood charcoal.

2.Number of Mesh

The smaller the mesh of activated carbon, the faster it will adsorb gold. However, the smaller the particles, the harder it is to screen out carbon from the slurry, which leads to losses of activated carbon and gold. If the carbon particles are too large, the adsorption rate of gold will decrease. Therefore, in the field of gold adsorption, coconut shell activated carbon with 6-12 mesh and 5-10 mesh specifications are most commonly used. The activated carbon particles of these two specifications are larger and have high mechanical strength. They can maintain particle integrity when treating gold-containing solutions and reduce the decline in adsorption capacity caused by wear or crushing.

3.Iodine Value

The higher the iodine value of activated carbon, the more developed its pores, the higher the gold carrying capacity and adsorption rate of activated carbon under certain conditions.

4.Absorption Capacity (Called K Value)

The adsorption capacity of activated carbon is usually called load capacity, which refers to how much activated carbon can adsorption. Adsorption capacity is related to the physical and chemical properties of activated carbon. The higher the K value, the higher the gold adsorption capacity.

5.Absorption Rate (Called R Value)

The adsorption rate is also largely affected by the physical and chemical properties of activated carbon. The higher the R value, the faster the gold adsorption rate.

6.Mechanical Strength or Wear Resistance/Hardness

The hardness of activated carbon used for gold refining is as important as its adsorption properties to gold. This is because activated carbon will be subjected to strong friction and rolling during the extraction process. If the strength of activated carbon is too low, it will wear into fine particles, resulting in not only the loss of activated carbon, but also the loss of gold, which will eventually greatly reduce the effect of gold adsorption.

7.Carbon Tetrachloride (CTC Value)

The higher the CTC value of activated carbon, the more developed its pores, and the higher the gold carrying capacity and adsorption rate of activated carbon will be under a certain working environment.

8.Appearance

Activated carbon has a more uniform size and a cleaner appearance, which will also increase the adsorption speed of gold. In order to minimize the production of carbon dust during wear and regeneration, the strictest particle control is used. We purchase activated carbon of even sizes, which does not require pre-grinding when entering the factory, and can be used directly after washing with water.

When producing gold charcoal, we have strict requirements on the raw materials. The thickness of the coconut shell must reach 5-7mm, and must undergo three screening and washing before it can be put into use. Therefore, the carbon we produce is clean, the particles are plump and uniform, with strong adsorption ability, high hardness and high wear resistance, so it shows outstanding performance in gold recycling.

· Fujian Guangyuan Carbon Products Co.,Ltd.