GOLD MINERALOGY AND FLOTATION
As was showed the distribution of gold in the host rock has an important role in choosing the possible type of flotation process than can be used to recover precious metals. Gold is present in low quantities as small and microscopic particles.
Nowadays, there are important tools that can help to recognize how is distributed the gold in the ore. Perhaps, a difficult task is to evaluate the possible flotation process to be used because many times the testwork program is hard and long, and the products obtained are difficult to analyze. There is not much available information about floatability of gold minerals and the choice is strongly derived to systematic flotation tests. However, some hints can be mentioned.
- Flotation of free gold and electrum is influenced directly by the final form acquired by the particles after grinding. This statement is true because gold has an extraordinary ductility and can form shapes difficult to recover by flotation.
- Many times the gold surface can be coated with iron compounds obtained during the primary grinding or due to the same nature of the ore. When there is this condition, flotation trends to fail.
- It is possible to find gold associated with copper, and also forming mineralogical species which can be affected when specific depressants are used during rougher or cleaning stages. These depressants can be sodium cyanide and certain types of Sulphites.
- Soluble heavy metals trend to make difficult the recovery by flotation because they take reagents and modify the surface of gold particles.
- When there are streams with important contents of auriferous pyrite, it is very important analyze where must be sent these streams.
- If there is gold in refractory ores, its recovery depends of sulphides recovery because there is mineralogical association.
Clayey ores and carbonaceous ores given the most serious problems and gold recovery could be affected negatively.
Ilemenite - Menacanite, Titanic Iron Ore Composition & Structure Sedimentary Rock - Shale Composition & Structure Effect Rock Feed Size on Grinding Mill Capacity Primary Crusher Product Energy Transfer in Crushing Process: Power Consumption Evaluate Grinding Mill Performance & Efficiency Using Bond Work Index Interpreting Mining Information Tungstates, Molybdates – Wolframite hubnerite Composition and Structure Resource Calculations Protecting the Environment while Mining Debt Financing Porphyry Copper Flotation Circuit The Permitting Process Gypsum, Salt, Potash and Coal The Isometric, Trisoctahedron and Hexoctahedron
