Mining Institute, Far Eastern Branch of RAS (Khabarovsk, Russia):

Banshchikova T. S., Senior Researcher
Leonenko N. A., Leading Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, leonenko@igd.kgv.ru
Alekseev V. S., Senior Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, alekseev-vs_83@mail.ru

The Far East placer gold deposits contain finely-dispersed gold, which is lost in beneficiation by gravity methods. Main accumulations of micron-size gold are sludge-argillaceous deposits. Unconventional technologies of finely-dispersed, platy and flake gold recovery, based on physical-and-chemical treatment, sorption and laser radiation energy flows application are proposed. The conducted research on gold recovery from sludge-argillaceous deposits with application of sorption by means of organic sorbent corroborates sorption properties of montmorillonite-hydrated-mica group clays with respect to gold, as well as the fact of ultradispersed gold presence in legacy placer gold in the Amur river region. The negative factor in final concentration of pan concentrates with fine platy and flake gold is water surface tension. In order to decrease it, surface actants may be applied in gravity concentration, terminating gold grains floating effect upon water flow surface. The proposed methods may be applied for pan concentrates final concentration at any recovery facility (gold works, prospectors’ artel). The proposed methods are technologically simple, do not require power consumption, the applied reagents are inexpensive, readily available and environmentally friendly. Samples from the Amur river region legacy placer gold sludge-argillaceous deposits and slimes were subjected to laser treatment studies. As a result of laser treatment, formation of burnt spheres from 500 to 3000 microns in diameter is observed in the specimens. Gold particles with size up to 300 nm are formed on these spheres, which was verified by electron microscopy. The proposed methods of micron-size recovery permit the gold plants to draw into processing the huge volumes of legacy placer gold, accumulated in pits and tailings storage facilities of the developed placer deposits.

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