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The clayey gold ore described in RI 8388 was also used in this laboratory
investigation. A 39-in. rotating disk pelletizer was used to agglomerate the
feed for the columns. Binder, dry ore, and a controlled amount of water or
strong cyanide solution were mixed and agglomerated. The agglomerated
material was aged prior to leaching. After curing, the feed was placed in the
column and leaching started by pumping solution onto the top of the column.
Both lime and portland cement can be employed as binders for agglomerating
ne and clayey particles.
Portland cement additions of 5 to 10 lb per ton of clayey ore produced
exceptionally stable agglomerates with high porosity. Binding properties of
the portland cement were superior to those exhibited by lime. The
agglomerates produced using cement as a binder endured percolation
leaching using spray or ooding methods to simulate heap and vat leaching,
respectively. No nes migration or solution channeling were observed.
Therefore, research investigations concentrated on portland cement as the
binder.
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Three principal process variables were investigated and were 1) the amount of
binder mixed with the dry feed, 2) the curing time required for the hydration
of the calcium silicate bridges, and 3) the amount of moisture used to wet the
dry mixture.
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Baseline Data. Initial column heap leaching tests were conducted on the
clayey gold ore to obtain baseline data for comparison with data obtained
from agglomerated feeds. Different amounts of cement were added to 50-lb
charges of clayey gold ore crushed to a nominal 3/8-in. feed size, but the
material was not agglomerated. The cement provided protective alkalinity and
showed the effect of Portland cement addition without agglomeration. The
amount of cement was varied from 0 to 20 lb/ton of feed. After mixing the
cement with the dry feed, the mixture was placed in the leaching column, and
the downward percolation leach was started using 12 liters of solution
containing 2 lb of sodium cyanide per ton. The leaching solution was
recirculated through the system until no additional gold was detected in the
pregnant solution. Flow rate measurements were made daily for ve days and
were averaged to determine the ow rate. The results showed that the
percolation ow rate was independent of the amount of portland cement
added to the dry feed. The ow rate remained constant at 0.12 gal/hr/ft² at
cement additions from 0 to 20 lb/ton of feed. The results are shown
graphically as baseline data in Figure 2.
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Fifty-pound charges of the clayey gold ore crushed to a nominal 3/8-in. size
were mixed with from 0 to 15 lb of cement per ton of feed. Water was added
to the cement-ore mixture until the moisture content of the mixture on the
39-in. rotating disk pelletizer was 12 wt.%. The wetted mixture was tumbled
on the pelletizer until the ne and/or clay material was agglomerated.
Adequate mixing of the cement and water into the ore was important for
successful agglomeration of the feed. During the agglomeration step, the ne
particles adhered to the surface of the larger particles; thus, avoiding particle
segregation. The coarse particles were coated by ne particles. Coating of the
coarse particles did not affect precious metal recovery. The nes coating the
larger particles were porous enough so that cyanide solution could penetrate
and dissolve the micron size gold particles associated with the coarser
material.
The agglomerated feed was placed in the leaching column and cured for 24
hours at ambient temperature. The column was capped to minimize drying of
the pellets. An increase in agglomerate strength was observed if the cement-
ore mixture remained moist during curing. If the pellets dried during curing,
the hydrolysis reaction stopped and partial breakdown of the agglomerates
occurred upon wetting.
The data show that the duration of the curing process is an important
operating parameter. Percolation rates increased markedly up to eight hours
of curing, but no further improvement occurred after eight hours. Curing the
agglomerated feed for eight hours resulted in a ow rate of 600 gal/hr/ft²
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Summary
increased the percolation rate from 0.1 to 600 gal/hr/ft² of cross sectional
area. Gold extraction was determined during the simulated heap leaching
sequence. The 70% extraction obtained was almost identical to that obtained
by agitation bottle leaching tests of 3/8-in. feed material.
The data from these experiments show that agglomerating the ore with
cement and strong cyanide solution decreased the leaching time for
maximum gold extraction from 26 days for conventional heap leaching to ve
days for agglomeration heap leaching. Agglomerating the ore with cyanide
solution decreased cyanide consumption.
Gold Ore
An oxidized disseminated gold ore from an open pit mine located near Ely,
Nevada, was employed in the rst pilot scale experiment. The ore contained
no clays and only 15 wt.% minus 20 mesh material when crushed to 80%
minus 3/8 in. Although the ore did not require agglomeration pre-treatment
to ensure adequate percolation rates, the operators were interested in the
effectiveness of particle agglomeration for controlling particle segregation
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during stacking and leaching of the heap. They were also interested in
decreasing channeling of solution during heap leaching.
Two pilot scale tests were performed. The rst test was made on 5,000 tons of
feed material crushed to 80% minus 3/8 in. and agglomerated with water to
control the nes while the heap was being stacked.
The feed was prepared by wetting the dry ore with water at the discharge end
of the crusher. Partial agglomeration of nes occurred by mixing with the
coarser ore as it rolled down the sides of the stockpile. Additional
agglomeration of nes occurred as the wetted feed was pushed over the edge
of the heap and rolled down the heap’s sides. The feed material was carefully
stacked on the heap in a manner described by Chamberlin.
The second test was conducted on 2,500 tons of ore crushed to 80% minus
3/8 in. The ore was mixed with 10 lb of portland cement per ton of dry ore,
and wetted with a solution containing all the NaCN required for the leach.
The agglomerated material was aged on the heap during heap construction.
The feed material was transported with a front-end loader from the crushed
ore stockpile to a 9-ton weighing hopper. Cement was added to the ore as it
was conveyed from the hopper to a conventional 14-yard-capacity concrete
mixer. Cyanide solution was introduced into the mixer in three increments.
The nal moisture content of the 9-ton batches of agglomerated ore was
between 7 and 10 wt.%. Agglomeration of the ore occurred during the
transport of the treated ore to a stockpile area. The agglomerated feed was
transferred from the stockpile by a front-end loader and dumped over the
edge of the heap. The same leaching/carbon adsorption procedure employed
in the rst test heap was used except that no makeup reagents were required.
Pertinent leaching data comparing both test heaps are shown in Table 3.
required to obtain the best gold recovery. Gold recoveries were the same as
those obtained in small scale column percolation experiments. Particle
agglomeration with water or with cement and cyanide solution was effective
in controlling the migration of nes during stacking and leaching of the heap
and in decreasing solution channeling during leaching.
The silver mine waste from the old Packard mine workings near Lovelock,
Nevada, contained considerable ne material and required particle
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commercial operation. However, dry cement will be mixed into the feed, and
the mixture moistened with a solution containing all the NaCN required to
dissolve the contained silver.
The third pilot scale test was performed on a silver mill tailing containing 2.5
oz of silver per ton. The tailings were from an old cyanide mill located near
Virginia City, Nevada. The tailings which were 65% minus 200 mesh had been
exposed to weathering for several decades.
The feed was placed into a hopper and screw-fed to a rotating drum. The
drum was 42 in. in diameter and 7 ft long. Dry cement was mixed with the
tailings at the discharge end of the screw feeder. The mixture was moistened
with cyanide solution applied through three spray nozzles mounted inside the
balling drum. A scraper was used inside the drum to prevent material buildup
on the walls of the drum. The agglomerates from the drum were conveyed to
the heap.
Leaching was initiated by spraying water over the surface of the heap. The
pregnant solution was collected on a water-impervious pad and drained into a
pregnant solution reservoir. The pregnant solution was pumped upward
through a series of ve columns containing coconut shell activated carbon
which adsorbed the silver values. The resultant barren solution was recycled
to the heap. A silver recovery of 78% was obtained in ve days of leaching at a
percolation rate of 12 gal/hr/ft² of heap area. A silver recovery of 81% was
obtained in the laboratory agglomeration experiments.
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Clayey and nely crushed ores can be treated by low-cost heap leaching
procedures. This permits treatment of large low-grade ore bodies, many
of which are presently considered submarginal for cyanide mill
construction.
Increased gold recovery from an ore can be obtained because additional
gold may be liberated by ner crushing without encountering particle
segregation during preparation of ore heaps. Particle segregation in
unagglomerated materials can cause localized accumulation of nes
that inhibit ow of leaching solutions.
Percolation rates are increased, thus decreasing the required leaching
cycle. This means that the mine capacity can be increased without
increasing capital cost for pad preparation.
The highly porous nature of the agglomerates permits the heaps to
“breathe,” thereby providing the oxygen necessary for the gold
dissolution. The height of the heap can be increased so that the pad
preparation cost per ton of ore processed is less, and land area is more
effectively utilized.
Favorable environmental conditions are realized in that the highly
porous structure of the heap permits ef cient washing of residual
cyanide from processing heaps. The stable agglomerates minimize
dusting problems when the heaps are abandoned.
Precious metal concentration in solutions exiting from the heaps are
greater. Ef ciency of gold-silver recovery from these solutions by
precipitation or adsorption on activated carbon is enhanced.
Conclusions
By David | August 20th, 2017 | Categories: Hydrometallurgy | Tags: 981 | Comments Off
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