Process of extracting gold from pyrite with this new discovery would be less harmful to our environment than traditional processes

The history of gold is as old as humanity, and its tireless search has often led to surprising discoveries. Between the shiny rocks and dreams of riches, pyrite, also known as “fool’s gold,” has piqued the curiosity of miners and scientists for decades. Recently, A groundbreaking discovery has opened a new chapter in the search for gold hidden inside pyrite, potentially altering the course of gold extraction.

Pyrite, with its shiny, golden appearance, fooled less experienced prospectors during the California Gold Rush. It earned the nickname “fool’s gold” due to the mistaken belief that it was genuine gold. However, it soon became clear that this substance could not be exploited profitably, leaving miners discouraged.

When it comes to iron disulfide (FeS²), for prospectors in the 1840s, this meant they had more searching to do. It's better than dirt and stone, but it still wasn't worth keeping – there was no way to squeeze anything useful out of said mineral.

Is it possible to truly extract this ore so coveted by the pyrite world?

The nature of the “invisible” gold in arsenopyrite

Pyrite's true potential as a gold host began to be revealed in 1989, when an article titled “The Nature of 'Invisible' Gold in Arsenopyrite” was published in The Canadian Mineralogist. In this study, small particles of gold were found structurally linked to pyrite. This shed light on the possibility that pyrite hides gold in unexpected ways. However, the real revolution was about to happen.

Last June, a research revealed a third surprising way in which gold can be found in pyrite. The study, titled “A New Type of Invisible Gold in Pyrite Hosted in Strain-Related Dislocations,” presented a fascinating insight into this process. Gold was found enriching small imperfections in pyrite, formed under extreme pressure and/or heat.

Here lies the potential for a true revolution in the extraction of this mineral. Denis Fougerouse, a researcher at the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Curtin University, emphasizes that this new method could be significantly less harmful to the environment than traditional extraction processes. But how is this possible?

New extraction discovery would be less harmful to the environment

Denis Fougerouse, Research Fellow at the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Curtin University, worked on this research and suggests that the process of gold extraction of pyrite with this new discovery would be less harmful to our environment than traditional processes.

“Dislocation sites within the crystals could potentially offer enhanced partial leaching or a target for bacteria attack and break the crystal, releasing the ore in a process known as 'bioleaching,'” Fougerouse said, “potentially reducing the energy consumption required for extraction".

Bibliography:

Article: A new kind of invisible gold in pyrite hosted in deformation-relateddislocations
Authors: Denis Fougerouse, Steven M. Reddy, Mark Aylmore, Lin Yang, Paul Guagliardo, David W. Saxey, William DA Rickard, Nicholas Timms
Magazine: Geology