A review on adsorption mechanism of gold cyanide complex onto activation carbon

[Display omitted] Gold is an essential metal in the economy and technologies. Most of the gold is produced from mining and cyanidation is the primary method used for gold extraction, with Au(CN)2- being the product. Activated carbon adsorption has been the primary commercial approach to recover gold from Au(CN)2- solution since the 1970 s. In the 21st century, new materials exploration and many experimental and modeling works were conducted to understand more of the adsorption mechanisms of Au(CN)2- onto activated carbon. In this paper, we reviewed the recent materials for gold recovery, such as activated carbon materials, graphene based-materials, and a few other materials. Experimental and modeling studies related to the adsorption mechanism of Au(CN)2- onto activated carbon were also reviewed, which provided a better understanding of the adsorption process. The kinetics of Au(CN)2- adsorption, the role of structural defects and pore size in improving the loading capacity and were also discussed.