Chlorine has long been a key component in the gold refining process, used at extremely high temperatures to oxidize impurities like iron, copper and nickel so they can be removed from doré.

A partnership with McGill University (Montreal, Canada) promises to transform gold refining by replacing the current process, known as the Miller Chlorination process. Our collaboration with McGill’s research team has, at a lab scale, resulted in a process that eliminates chlorine gas almost entirely by introducing an acoustic energy process to catalyze a chemical reaction. The process is non-toxic, requires less energy and is safer for our people and our environment.

This collaboration is not only leading towards a sustainable manufacturing process, but also has provided training and experiential learning opportunities for both Royal Canadian Mint’s team of engineers and technologists, as well as Master’s degree and PhD level students at McGill. This is a technological breakthrough in gold refining process.