Free gold
Liberated particles may respond to gravity concentration and should be evaluated before assuming all gold follows one route.
Gold ore processing
Recovery depends on
deportment,
liberation and
mineral association.
For us, a gold head grade never tells the whole story. We want to know where the gold is, how much is liberated, how much is associated with sulfides, what particle size matters and which recovery route makes technical and commercial sense.
Gold logic
Free gold and sulfide gold are not one population.
We separate free gold from sulfide-associated and encapsulated populations because one head grade cannot explain deportment or metallurgical response.
Sulfide-associated gold
Gold in pyrite, arsenopyrite or other sulfides may require flotation and a specific downstream strategy.
Liberation
Size, encapsulation and mineral association determine grind, regrind and recovery response.
Impurities
As, Sb, Hg and other elements can affect treatment, concentrate, transport or buyer acceptance.
Test priorities
Separate recovery hypotheses.
Our test program measures the individual recovery responses first, then combines them only where the mineralogy supports a coherent flowsheet.
- Representative head assay and sample QA/QC.
- Mineralogy and Au association with sulfides and gangue.
- Gravity test with concentrate grade and recovery.
- Rougher kinetics, cleaner response and regrind effect in flotation.
- Concentrate and tailings assay including penalty elements.
- Diagnostic leach or downstream testing where mineralogy supports it.
Process decision
Questions before scale-up.
Before scale-up, we want the route supported by both recovery performance and a clear view of product quality, residual gold and destination.
- What percentage of Au can gravity recover without penalizing downstream stages?
- What fraction of Au follows sulfides and at what mass pull?
- Are concentrate grade and impurities commercially manageable?
- What happens to residual Au and what is the best downstream route?
- Do the results close in a reproducible mass and metal balance?