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What temperatures are used to roast gold-bearing minerals before cyanidation?
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gold processing
The Tanami gold mine, Northern Territory, Australia.
To prepare refractory gold-bearing ores for cyanidation, the minerals are typically roasted at temperatures ranging from 450° to 750° C (840° to 1,380° F).1
This roasting process is an oxidizing roast designed to destroy interfering sulfide minerals—such as pyrite, pyrrhotite, or arsenopyrite—that would otherwise prevent the cyanide solution from accessing or dissolving the gold. By removing these sulfides, the ore becomes amenable to the subsequent extraction process.12