Promising technology and equipment for exploration of gold-bearing manmade mineral deposits

Abstract

Large-volume dumps and tailings ponds at gold placers in the territory of Russia hold gold at the content close to the commercially attractive value. In the meanwhile, the amount of gold in profitable cut-off is steadily decreasing. In connection with this, it is important to commence extraction of gold from gold-bearing mining and processing waste. Alongside with commercial production interest, recycling of gold-bearing manmade raw material can help meet some environmental challenges. As against the detailed and operational exploration of natural gold deposits, exploration of mining and processing waste requires a nontrivial approach as waste contains difficult gold, including dispersed and chemically bonded particles, which requires an in-depth study into the substance and structure of such gold at micro and nano scale. Recycling of manmade mineral raw material in many cases assumes extraction of gold from it at the site of its storage. Accordingly, development of such waste needs innovative physicochemical geotechnologies, and exploration should involve assessment of quality characteristics and leaching resistance of the material. The authors propose new methods of sampling in prospecting headings inside mining and processing waste bodies. Exploration drilling should include local interval washout for representative sampling required for the mineralogical and chemical analyses, as well as for testing. To study formation of a reagent medium in pore solutions of manmade mineral raw material and to examine dissolved gold flow in the reagent medium, a new method is proposed for the mining waste exploration with arrangement of a system of additional umbrella sprinklers and catchers of test and pregnant solutions inside the body of waste mass, with feed via larger diameter holes.