Abstract
The technological mineralogy of a gold deposit located in North-Western province of Zambia was carried out by using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that gold was highly dispersed in gold-bearing minerals such as pyrite, arsenopyrite, and some gangues in the form of natural gold and electrum. The gold grade in the mineral was 15.96 g/t and the particle size distribution of gold was extremely uneven. Most of the gold particles were less than 10 μm and wrapped with gold-bearing minerals, making it difficult to achieve liberation during grinding. According to the characteristics of the refractory gold deposit, the gravity–flotation combined beneficiation process was used to recover the liberated coarse gold and the fine gold in the sulphides. The closed-circuit experiments obtained excellent indicators. The grade and recovery of gold in the gravity separation concentrates reached 91.24 g/t and 57.58%, respectively. The grade and recovery of gold in the flotation concentrates were 49.44 g/t and 33.36%, respectively. The total recovery of gold was 90.94%. The gravity–flotation combined beneficiation pretreatment process provided a feasible method for the refractory gold ore and ensured the effective recovery of gold.
Highlights
It is well known that gold is a precious metal and has been used as money, store of value, and jewelry for many centuries
The gravity–flotation combined beneficiation pretreatment process provided a feasible method for the refractory gold ore and ensured the effective recovery of gold
With the rapid depletion of easy-to-treat gold deposits and in order to ensure the sustainability of resources, more attention has been paid to research on the recovery and utilization technology of refractory gold deposits [2,3]
Summary
It is well known that gold is a precious metal and has been used as money, store of value, and jewelry for many centuries. The abundance of gold in the earth’s crust is only three parts per billion [1]. The gold mineral should be pretreated before smelting due to the low grade of gold in the ore. The pretreatment process of gold mainly includes gravity separation, flotation, microbial oxidation, etc. Gold occurs usually in its native form or hosts in sulphides (especially pyrite, arsenopyrite, and chalcopyrite), silicate, carbonate, and oxide minerals [1,6,7]. Silver is generally associated with gold and it is usually recycled with gold [8,9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
