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Which sulfide minerals are commonly found in refractory gold ores?
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gold processing
The Tanami gold mine, Northern Territory, Australia.
In the context of gold processing, refractory ores are those that are not readily amenable to standard cyanidation because the gold is either encapsulated by or associated with specific minerals that interfere with the extraction process.1
The sulfide minerals most commonly found in these refractory gold ores include:
- Pyrite1
- Pyrrhotite1
- Arsenopyrite1
These minerals can prevent the cyanide leach solution from accessing the gold particles, or they may consume the cyanide reagent or adsorb the dissolved gold (a process known as preg-robbing). To recover gold from these ores, the interfering sulfides must be destroyed through oxidizing processes, such as roasting or treatment in high-pressure autoclaves, before cyanidation can be effectively employed.1