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Native gold and silver occur in some ores and can be recovered by flotation with xanthates. Ordinarily, these metals are closely associated with lead, copper, iron, or other sulfide minerals, and their recovery is therefore primarily a problem of floating the accompanying mineral.
Most of the gold and silver produced is obtained as by-products in the flotation of copper or lead ores. However, several mills are treating sulfide – containing ores entirely for gold recovery. In most such cases, the gold occurs with pyrite, and good recovery can be obtained with very simple reagent combinations. One mil uses only 0.10 lb of xanthate and 0.05 lb of DOWFROTH 250-D frother per ton of ore. In other instances, some soda ash and copper sulfate also my be required.
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