Gold recovery from gold concentrates with leaching

The aim of this study is to investigate the opportunities for environmentally friendly and more efficient methods of operating gold ores in our country which has significant gold potential. By the Project, instead of acquiring gold in the ore by direct leaching method, at the first phase it has been acquired by gravity and flotation techniques; at the second phase oxidation of products have been provided by using microwave energy according to grain size, way of concentrating and process time. At the last phase, gold acquisition by hydrometallurgical methods has been investigated. Optimum results have been obtained by microwave pre-process applied to ore, gravity and flotation pre-concentrates. As results have been applied to ore and pre-concentrates, gold has been acquired by hydrometallurgical methods before and after microwave. Effects of microwave time, sodium cyanide (NaCN) concentration and consumption, solid/liquid proportion, grain size, leacing time, type of concentrating on gold dissolution efficiencies have been investigated. Applying cyanide process on lesser gold pre-concentrates prepared by different methods rather than applying on the whole ore, and application of microwave pre-process differentiates this study from others.Applying hydrometallurgical method on pre-concentrates instead of ore and using microwave have resulted in less cyanide consumption. So, negative environmental effects of cyanide have been lessened for some amount. Because microwave pre-process before hydrometallurgical process is applied directly on two different concentrates instead of ungraded ore, energy consumption has been lessened, leacing time has been shorter and metal gain has been more efficient.