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Increase Gold recovery in Copper flotation (15 replies)
Your statement reads that you are recovering 0.8% of the gold in the copper flotation concentrate; which implies you are losing over 99% of the gold. Most operations I have dealt with the terms would be 0.8% gold as a grade in the concentrate. Are you sure you mean 0.8% recovery?
We want to have 1.0g/t and we are having 0.8 g/t to be paid by the buyers of the concentrate less than 1 g/t is not paid. I am sorry for the confusion.
You do not mention if the gold is combined with the copper or separate particles. If the gold is combined with the copper than if your current grade is 0.8 g/t (grade), to raise this you need to reduce the overall recovery, and lose copper.
If the gold is separate than you need to adjust the scavenger and re-cleaner circuits to get more recovery of the gold by adjusting the reagents. (Note you may lose copper doing this also).
You gave me a good point. Really I am not sure if the Au is free, I will have to talk with geology and investigate how is in the ore and also to see about the liberation in milling in case it is necessary.
This is really interesting and may be viewed as improving recovery of precious / valuable trace minerals in the main concentrate. We had a similar interest in improving silver recovery floating with pb concentrate. Studies done by reducing the sodium cyanide dosage (GPT) by adjusting metering pump, slurry density to cleaner cells is gradually monitored by a roto meter/ control valve in pb rougher launder coming as feed to cleaner cell. Results were moderately favourable but understand in your case it's much precious gold and that to on cut off mark. .
Study of population- species flotation kinematics by varying reagent dosage, slurry densities with context to feed PSD, Wish this may pave way in forward direction.
Thank you very much for sharing your experiences, they are very valuable we are going to check all these points you mention.
I believe the key here is a better understanding of the morphology of the gold intent the ore abspcifically the gold that reports to the tails. The size and distribution of the residual gold (free or attached to the copper minerals together with their size) will guide you to what you can do to economically recover additional gold.
Heard that OK U bottom cells delivers bit higher silver recovery than tank cells in pb – zn concentrators. You may please cross check.
If you gold is associated with Cu or Fe or free you can see at improve gangue rejection to possibly increase grade. Otherwise, why do you not source out a gold rick pyrite concentrate (>300 g/t) and spike/salt your copper concentrate to >1.1 g/t to get full payables.
We have to attempt to get maximum recoverable mineral recovered.
First have a good look at mineralogy; the form in which gold is; then look at mineralogy of tails after you recover gold by whatever process you have been adopting.
For any mineral the above is road map. Please provide some numbers for us to comment.
Tails auditing in regard of mineralogy and Particle size distribution (PSD) will give us way forward and take process sustainability a step further. With kind permission i am deviating for a single chalcopyrite flotation plant case, where slime copper value in tails was three times more than the average tail value. The slime was 15 % of the total tails. The process was having tank cells operation with single stage ball mill. We have gone bit coarser grind but marginal gains. How to arrest this generation of high density mineral species slime in ore population at grinding stage please?
Let us discuss freely and these blogs do provide a good platform; make all of to think from different angles.
But the final prescription has to be given by a doctor (to whom you have to pay) treating the patient no good doctor gives (should not) a final prescription by exchanging mails. Our Mineral Engineer profession is also like medical profession and that is why it is so challenging and exciting.
Keep the discussions going only to get our minds active and enlightened...
I am still working in getting data to be examined and to be able to take a determination. I am still working with the geologist to make a closer study of characterization of the ore and tails and the dosage of the reagents, pH, densities, etc. As soon as I have more data i send you what we found. Thank you for all your comments.
In my flotation circuit, I need to increase recovery of Au in flotation of Cu from 0.8% to at least 1.0%, does anyone has the experience how would be the best practice to obtain this? I will appreciate your advice.