Gold extraction by flotation VS gold extraction by cyanide, which gold extraction process is more effective?

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The method of gold extraction from gold mines mainly depends on the properties of the gold ore. At present, the main gold extraction processes are flotation gold extraction and cyanide gold extraction. Among them, cyanide gold extraction can also be divided into: carbon slurry gold extraction , carbon leaching gold extraction, heap leaching gold extraction, etc. This article will not elaborate too much. It will only introduce the flotation gold extraction and cyanide gold extraction processes, and conduct a comparative analysis.

1. Gold extraction process by flotation

Flotation is one of the commonly used beneficiation processes in gold mines, and is mostly suitable for processing Sulfide gold-bearing quartz vein ores, polymetallic gold-bearing sulfide ores and carbon-bearing ores with finer gold particles and higher floatability.

The process of flotation gold extraction process can be divided into single flotation process, heavy-flotation combined separation process, etc. Its flotation gold extraction recovery rate is considerable, and the sulfide ore recovery rate can reach 90%. It can even reach 95%~97%; the recovery rate of oxidized ore can reach about 75%, and in some cases it can even reach 80%~85%.

2. Cyanide gold extraction process

Cyanide gold extraction has strong adaptability to gold mines , ores containing natural adsorbents such as clay, graphite, bitumen shale, iron oxide, and complex gold ores such as arsenic gold ore.

The main process steps of cyanide gold extraction are: cyanide leaching, adsorption from cyanide liquid, and obtaining finished products. The process can be divided into two types, one of which is the conventional cyanide gold extraction process, and The concentrator performs continuous countercurrent washing, and zinc powder is used to replace the precipitation and recover gold; the other is a filter-free cyanide carbon slurry process, which does not require filtering and washing, and directly uses activated carbon (zinc powder replacement and activated carbon adsorption) to adsorb and recover gold from the cyanide slurry. .

The process of cyanide gold extraction is relatively complex, but its gold recovery rate is high. The recovery rate of CIP and CIL can basically be stable at 80%, or even reach more than 90%.

3. Gold extraction by flotation VS cyanidation gold extraction

1. Difficulty of gold extraction process

Flotation gold extraction is not only a simple process, but also has relatively simple infrastructure and equipment requirements. There is basically no big difference between a single flotation process equipment and other metal ore flotation equipment. Looking back at the cyanide gold extraction process, the complex process determines relatively complex and strict equipment requirements and infrastructure investment. Therefore, in terms of cost, cyanide gold extraction is much higher than flotation gold extraction.

2. Use of gold extraction reagents

Flotation and cyanidation are both chemical beneficiation Method, therefore, chemicals are naturally indispensable in the mineral processing process. In flotation gold extraction, frothers, inhibitors, activators, collectors, etc. are used. There are many types and complexities, and they need to be used in proportions. The chemicals used in the cyanidation process are relatively simple. In the cyanidation process, cyaniding agents are used to leach the ores.

No matter which process is used, these two processes will produce substances that damage the environment. Currently, A cyanide-free, environmentally friendly gold extraction agent has been developed as a substitute for traditional cyanide agents to reduce damage to the environment.

Four. Two cases of gold extraction processes

Let us take a look at the application of these two gold extraction processes from actual cases. A gold mine flotation project in Cambodia undertaken by Xinhai Mining. The ore processed by the mine is mainly natural gold, but it is mostly distributed in arsenopyrite fissures, pyrrhotite and quartz crystal gaps, making it difficult to process. Xinhai Technology According to the characteristics of the mining mine and closely combined with the actual situation, the team designed a gold mine production line based on flotation, which solved problems such as large fluctuations in raw ore supply and unstable process operations.

In a gold mine in Liaoning Province, the ore is mainly sulfide ore, and the main gold-bearing minerals are pyrite and arsenopyrite. The arsenic content is high. After feasibility testing, flotation-cyanidation was finally used. The combined leaching process and cyanide leaching treatment allowed the gold in the arsenopyrite to be effectively recovered, with the total gold recovery rate reaching 96.37%.

Let’s summarize the advantages and disadvantages of flotation gold extraction and cyanide gold extraction. The details are as follows:

From the above examples and process comparisons, we can conclude that whether it is gold extraction by flotation or cyanide extraction, Gold is not suitable for all gold mineral beneficiation. The suitable gold beneficiation process needs to be determined based on the ore properties of the gold ore. Therefore, the editor recommends conducting a beneficiation test first and designing a reasonable and efficient gold extraction process based on the test results.