• Achieved 99.58% gold recovery from low-concentration thiosulfate leaching solution using a novel activated carbon-coated titanium electrode (Ti@AC), outperforming existing methods by 30–80%.
• The Ti@AC electrode demonstrated exceptional stability in ten consecutive 200 L pilot-scale tests, maintaining >98% recovery and producing 20.23 g of gold.
• The porous activated carbon structure enhances adsorption of Au(S2O3)3−2, while low charge transfer resistance enables efficient electroreduction to metallic gold (Au0).
• The study offers a cost-effective, industrially scalable strategy for direct reduction of low-concentration precious metal ions, overcoming barriers to thiosulfate gold extraction commercialization.