Minerals Engineering, Vol. 5, No. 9, pp. 1069-1070, 1992 0892-6875/92 $5.00+0.00 Printed in Great Britain Pergamon Press Ltd

BOOK REVIEW

The Chemistry of Gold Extraction J.O. Marsden and C.I. House Ellis-Horwood, Chichester, 1992. 600 pps. Price £80. ISBN 0-13-131517-X

In the Foreword, Robert S. Shoemaker comments that the volume contains "literally a gold mine o f information and a remarkable piece o f work ". The reader is unlikely to be disappointed. A number of books describing the extraction and processing of gold are available, however, this new book embodies several important and distinctive features. Notably, it is an up- to-date record of the technological developments in gold extraction with an emphasis on demonstrating how the mineralogy of the ore affects the choice of processing route and the consequences for plant design and operation. In this context it succeeds in bringing together the fundamentals of determinative mineralogy, chemical thermodynamics, surface phenomena with plant design, based on the authors' experience. For instance, the final chapter takes the form of a useful compendium of industrial applications which surveys the distribution of process technologies on a worldwide basis followed by twenty eight cases studies of the various types of technologies based on modern operating plants.

The book is presented in twelve chapters, as follows:

Historical developments Ore deposits and process mineralogy Process selection Principles of gold hydrometallurgy Oxidative pretreatment Leaching Solution purification and concentration Recovery Surface chemical methods Refining Effluent treatment Industrial applications

The volume makes generous use of diagrams and graphs to illustrate the development of the process technologies and is written in a readable fashion, each chapter having its own references to enable further reading. In writing such a comprehensive statement the authors have, no doubt, grappled with the dilemma of how to divide-up the information. The result is that extensive use is made of sub-sectioning. This was generally helpful (using the book as a reference source) but could perhaps be a little bewildering to the casual reader who is less familiar with the subject matter.

A few personal highlights of the book would include: the excellent overview of the chronological development of gold extraction chemistry from 1000 BC up to 1991 (Chapter !); a lucid account of the important features of gold mineralogy, supported by 15 colour plates (Chapter 2); decision charts to help in selecting processing routes coupled with a succinct summary of appropriate unit operations and associated cost considerations (Chapter 3); a readable account of the principles of gold hydrometallurgy (of particular value to the students) (Chapter 4); an extensive account of oxidative pretreatment routes based on hydrometallurgical principles (including biological methods) and pyrometallurgical principles (Chapter 5); a practical approach to the design of carbon-based and ion exchange processes (Chapter 7); and the illustrative survey, by ore-type and hence process technologies, of dozens of operating plants (some old and long-established but most with start-up dates post- 1985 right up to 1990).

M.E. S/9--O 1069

1070 Book Review

Bearing in mind the multi-disciplinary nature of this book, its emphasis does remain on chemical aspects and the book does not purport to be a comprehensive handbook of gold processing. This is reflected in the absence of photographs of process plant and, understandably, little attention is given to the physical processes (comminution, classification etc.), since presumably, these fall outside the authors primary remit. In view of this, future editions would benefit from the inclusion of a bibliography of recommended books where further details of these important aspects could be consulted.

In summary the book fills an important gap in gold processing technology by linking the fundamental principles of mineralogy and chemistry with sound and modern plant practice. It reflects the authors' passion and experience of the subject area and will certainly have a wide readership in industry and in universities

Dr. R.A. Williams Dept. o f Chemical Engineering University o f Manchester Institute o f Science & Technology PO Box 88 Manchester M60 1QD England