With the development of economy and the improvement of people's living standards, the demand for gold as a precious metal has increased year by year. However, due to the low gold content in gold ore and the complex beneficiation process, gold is still a scarce resource and its price has continued to rise. There are two main common gold extraction processes in modern times: flotation gold extraction and cyanidation gold extraction. This article will explore the differences, commonalities, and respective advantages and disadvantages of these two processes.
Flotation gold extraction is a mineral processing method suitable for most metal ores, including gold mines. Its advantages are simple process, relatively low requirements for infrastructure and equipment, and relatively low investment amount. However, with the enhancement of environmental awareness, flotation gold extraction needs to add flotation reagents during the selection process, and the discharged tailings have certain pollution to the environment. From the perspective of environmental protection, flotation gold extraction is not an ideal choice.
Flotation gold extraction is mainly suitable for sulfide gold-bearing quartz vein ores with fine gold particles and high floatability, polymetallic gold-bearing sulfide ores, and carbon-bearing ores. The process of this process can be divided into a single flotation process, a gravity-flotation combined selection process, etc., which is a relatively simple process for gold extraction. The flotation gold extraction recovery rate is considerable, the recovery rate of sulfide ores can reach 90%, and a few can even reach 95%~97%; the recovery rate of oxide ores can reach about 75%, and some can even reach 80%~85%.
Cyanide gold extraction process is the main modern gold extraction method, which can be divided into carbon-in-slurry method, carbon-in-leach method and heap leaching method. Cyanide gold extraction process has strong adaptability to gold mines and is suitable for ores containing natural adsorbents such as clay, graphite, asphalt shale, iron oxide and complex gold ores such as arsenic gold ores. Its main processes include cyanide leaching, adsorption from cyanide solution, and obtaining finished products. The cyanide gold extraction process is relatively complicated, but the gold recovery rate is high. The recovery rates of CIP and CIL can basically be stabilized at 80%, and can even reach more than 90%.
In the use of reagents, the reagents used in the cyanidation process are relatively simple, and cyaniding agents are used to leach the ore during the cyanidation process. Whether it is flotation gold extraction or cyanidation gold selection, substances that damage the environment will be produced during the selection process. At present, cyanide-free environmentally friendly gold extraction agents have been developed as substitutes for traditional cyanidation reagents to reduce damage to the environment.
The flotation gold extraction process and the cyanide gold extraction process each have their own advantages and disadvantages. The flotation gold extraction process is favored for its simple process flow and low investment cost, but its potential pollution to the environment is an issue that cannot be ignored. Although the cyanide gold extraction process has a high recovery rate, the process flow is complicated, and the use of cyanide brings challenges in safety and environmental protection.
Finding a balance between environmental protection and efficiency is the key to the development of modern gold beneficiation technology. With the advancement of technology, the development of cyanide-free gold extraction technology has provided a possible solution to this problem. The use of cyanide-free gold extraction agents can reduce damage to the environment while maintaining a high gold recovery rate. In addition, the technological progress of mineral processing equipment, such as the application of high-gradient magnetic separators and tower mills, has also played an important role in improving mineral processing efficiency and reducing costs.
The selection of gold beneficiation technology needs to comprehensively consider environmental protection, efficiency and economy. Flotation gold extraction and cyanide gold extraction processes have their own advantages, but with the strengthening of environmental protection regulations and the advancement of technology, the development of cyanide-free gold extraction technology will become the development trend of gold beneficiation technology in the future. Through technological innovation and process optimization, the processing efficiency of gold ore can be improved, while the impact on the environment can be reduced, thus achieving the sustainable development of gold beneficiation.
