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Gold mines that use cyanide leaching recover the dissolved gold on activated carbon, and coconut shell carbon is the standard material for it. This guide is for mine procurement teams, metallurgists and mining supply distributors who are considering Sri Lanka as a source.
How the carbon is used
In a carbon-in-pulp (CIP) or carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant, granules of activated carbon are mixed through tanks of leached slurry, where they adsorb the gold cyanide complex. The loaded carbon is screened out, stripped of its gold (elution), reactivated in a kiln and sent back to the circuit. Heap leach operations use the same carbon in columns (carbon-in-column, CIC).
Every pass through pumps, screens and the kiln wears the carbon. Fine particles that break off carry adsorbed gold with them into the tailings, so carbon that is too soft costs the mine gold, not just carbon.
What a gold recovery specification asks for
| Property | Why it matters | Typical requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Particle size | Must be screened out of the slurry cleanly | 6×12 or 6×16 mesh (US), with tight limits on undersize |
| Hardness / abrasion resistance | Losses of fine carbon carry gold away | High; often 97% or more on the ball-pan hardness test |
| Activity | Speed and capacity of gold loading | Carbon tetrachloride (CTC) activity, or a gold-loading test such as the K value |
| Apparent density | Sets carbon inventory per tank | Stated per lot |
| Moisture and fines | Paying for water and dust, not carbon | Low; fines removed before bagging |
Why Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has a large coconut industry and several established activated carbon producers, and coconut shell is the raw material that gives the hard, microporous granules gold circuits need. Sri Lankan carbon is already used by mines in Africa, Australia, Asia and the Americas, often supplied through mining distributors under the distributor’s own name.
Buying it
- Packing: usually 500 kg or 1,000 kg bulk bags, or 25 kg bags for smaller sites.
- Shipping: sea freight in 20 ft containers. Many mines are inland, so quote CIF to the port and arrange inland haulage separately, or ask for a delivered quote.
- Documents: certificate of analysis per lot, certificate of origin, and safety data sheet. HS code 3802.10.
- Trial lots: start with a sample for laboratory testing, then a trial lot for one circuit, then a supply contract.
What to send for a quote
- Circuit type (CIP, CIL or CIC) and annual carbon consumption.
- Mesh size, hardness, activity and density requirements, or your current carbon’s data sheet.
- Packing, delivery point and Incoterm.
See our listing for gold recovery activated carbon, and our water treatment carbon guide for the other grades.
Quote gold recovery carbon
Send your circuit and specification; we return a quote with lot data and a sample.