The choice of gold process method is closely related to the type of gold ore. Because the type of gold ore, determines the applicable process of gold mine to a large extent. This article introduces two main types of gold ores and their applicable extraction processes.
Processing alluvial gold ore involves several steps, including:
Screening: The first step in processing alluvial gold ore is to screen the gravel to separate the larger rocks and debris from the smaller, finer particles that contain the gold.
Washing: After the screening process, the gold-bearing material is washed to remove any remaining debris and to further separate the gold from the other minerals in the ore.
Gravity separation: Alluvial gold ore can be further processed using gravity separation methods such as centrifugal concentrators, jigs, and shaking tables. These methods work by exploiting the different densities of the various minerals in the ore, which allows the gold to be separated and concentrated.
Smelting: Once the gold has been concentrated, it can be further processed by smelting to extract the pure gold from the concentrated material.
Processing rock gold ore, which is typically found in veins or lodes, involves a different set of steps:
Crushing: The first step in processing rock gold ore is to crush the ore into small pieces using a jaw crusher, cone crusher, or impact crusher.
Grinding: Once the ore has been crushed, it is ground to a fine powder using a ball mill, rod mill, or other type of grinding equipment.
Gravity separation: Like alluvial gold ore, rock gold ore can also be processed using gravity separation methods, such as centrifugal concentrators, jigs, and shaking tables.
Flotation: In some cases, flotation may be used to further separate the gold from other minerals in the ore. This process involves adding chemicals to the ore that cause the gold to be attracted to bubbles, which can then be collected.
Cyanide leaching: In cases where the gold is not easily recoverable using other methods, cyanide leaching may be used. This involves using a cyanide solution to dissolve the gold from the ore, which can then be recovered using various methods.
