Rebellious Gold Extraction from Gravity Concentrates and Placer Tailings by Chemical Reagents

Abstract

When gold occurs in mining waste for a long time, it becomes coated with dense films of hydroxide of iron, manganese, copper and silver sulfides, hydromica powder and clayey particles, which greatly complicate concentration of such gold by gravity. An efficient method to remove such coatings from gold is treatment of waste using chemical reagents based on halogen-containing compounds. The article presents experimental results on extraction of fine gold from tailings of sluice boxes and dredging classifiers using such chemical reagents.