Copper-gold ores have been technically difficult and uneconomical to process due to high consumptions of cyanide. Many copper xoide and sulphide minerals react with cyanide to form copper cyanide complexes, partly contributing to the high level of weak-acid dissociable cyanide in the tailings which is normally experienced during the processing of copper-gold ores. The cost for detoxification, if reqired for treating these tailings, would further inhibit the development of these copper-gold resources unless the cyanide used for leaching was recovered.
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