Flotation-leaching technology practice of a copper-gold ore in Russia

Flotation-leaching technology practice of a copper-gold ore in Russia Sodium cyanide Russian gold mine high sodium consumption leaching process optimization No. 1picture

In a certain gold mine in Russia, the gold ore is mainly characterized by high copper content. After a technical transformation, the mine faced several challenges that hindered efficient production.

Initial Challenges in the Beneficiation and Metallurgy System

  • Low Gold Recovery Rate: Post-transformation, the gold recovery rate dropped to an unsatisfactory level, failing to meet the expected output targets.

  • High Sodium Cyanide Consumption: The consumption of Sodium cyanide soared, increasing operational costs significantly.

  • Accumulation of Copper Ions: Copper ions continuously built up in the system, causing abnormal production in the beneficiation and metallurgy processes.

Improvements Achieved through Research and Practice

Copper Flotation Optimization

  • Increased Copper Concentrate Yield: The copper concentrate yield was successfully adjusted from 0.25% to 0.75%.

  • Higher Recovery Rates: The flotation gold and copper operation recovery rates in copper flotation witnessed substantial increases. The gold recovery rate rose from 20% to around 35%, and the copper recovery rate increased from 34% to approximately 52%.

  • Boost in Total Gold Recovery: The total gold recovery rate climbed from 87% to 89%, demonstrating enhanced overall efficiency.

Leaching Process Optimization

  • Reduced Leaching Time: The leaching time was cut down from 85.48 h to 56.61 h, streamlining the production cycle.

  • Lower Sodium Cyanide Concentration: The Sodium Cyanide concentration was decreased from 1000 mg/L to around 600 mg/L.

  • Decreased Sodium Cyanide Consumption: The consumption of sodium cyanide dropped from 7.49 kg/t to 3.60 kg/t, leading to cost savings.

  • Lower Copper Leaching Rate: The copper leaching rate fell from 27.18% to 20.09%, which is beneficial for the overall process.

Treatment for Copper Ion Reduction

Hydrogen Peroxide Cyanide Destruction and Copper Removal

Based on experimental research on copper removal by hydrogen peroxide for cyanide destruction, in production, a combined approach was adopted. Sodium metabisulfite and hydrogen peroxide were used together for treatment under high-alkali conditions. This method effectively reduced the copper ion content in the cyanide destruction discharge ore from 330.47 mg/L to 24.55 mg/L, significantly decreasing copper ions in the system.

The results of these production practices clearly show that for this copper-bearing gold ore in Russia, strategies such as increasing the copper flotation recovery rate, optimizing the leaching conditions to cut sodium cyanide consumption, conducting hydrogen peroxide cyanide destruction, and removing copper under high-alkali conditions can yield excellent production results. This case holds great guiding significance for the optimization of beneficiation and metallurgy processes and production practices of similar copper-bearing gold ores.

You may also like

Online message consultation

Add comment:

+8617392705576WhatsApp QR CodeScan QR code
Leave a message for consultation
Thanks for your message, we will contact you soon !
Submit
Online Customer Service