Navoi Mining & Metallurgy Combine, Navoi, Uzbekistan:

M. M. Ismagilov, Deputy Chief Engineer
K. Gafurov, Director of Hydrometallurgical Plant No. 3 of Northern Mining Department

Navoi State Mining Institute, Navoi, Uzbekistan:

N. B. Khuzhakulov, Senior Lecturer, phone: +9 (9891) 308-30-80

This paper shows the regularities of spatial-volumetric distribution of gold in large-scale tailing dump. Gold distribution in the stale tailings of Hydrometallurgical Plant No. 3 (Navoi Mining & Metallurgy Combine) was investigated. Localizations of different forms of gold were installed in the tailing dump. Methodology for the study of technogenic raw materials of hydrometallurgical plants was developed and considers the following methods: sampling; elemental and mineralogical analysis of stale hydrometallurgical processing tailings; geotechnological investigations; assessment of practicability and profitability of applied gold leaching methods. Considering that gold has almost equal quantities and six different forms, application of traditional concentrating methods (gravitation and flotation) does not give the possibility of achieving high gold extraction level. The autoclaving method is not profitable due to the high cost price. Before the choice of gold extraction method it’s necessary to foresee the cyanidable forms of gold in technogenic materials by the influence of alternative destruction methods. In this case biological methods of rock destruction directly in the center of location (with the use of natural bacteria actively functioning in alkaline medium) have a substantial advantage. Different possible versions of technogenic materials processing, their advantages and disadvantages were studied.

This scientific work was carried out under the guidance of G. S. Sattarov, professor of a Chair of Metallurgy Navoi State Mining Institute.

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