# Simple way for beginner to leach concentrate?



## southernau (Jan 25, 2012)

Whats the easiest and best way to leach a concentrate from an ore. Keep in mind there are alot of other minerals in the concentrate which may complicate things. Please keep it as safe and low tech as possible.


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## Dr. Poe (Jan 25, 2012)

southernau said:


> Whats the easiest and best way to leach a concentrate from an ore. Keep in mind there are alot of other minerals in the concentrate which may complicate things. Please keep it as safe and low tech as possible.


I'm sorry, it's not possible to give you an answer without a lot more information. Dr. Poe


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## southernau (Jan 25, 2012)

Thanks for your reply Dr. Poe. Please let me know what kind of information in needed and I will gladly give it. Thanks.


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## Photobacterium (Jan 25, 2012)

southernau said:


> Whats the easiest and best way to leach a concentrate from an ore. Keep in mind there are alot of other minerals in the concentrate which may complicate things. Please keep it as safe and low tech as possible.



just for talking purposes -

1. the ore is ground up in a ball mill.

2. if there is free gold it can be "lassoed" using a concentrator, of which this is one example - they employ the density of gold to concentrate it (get it all into one place as gold 'dust').







3. a fire assay, where the ore powder is mixed with lead oxide (litharge) or lead, and the mixture is heated in a kiln. Danger Will Robinson, Lead Fumes. IF there is gold in the ore, it will show up during the assay, and provide an indication of how much gold is in the ore. That information comes in handy further down the line when you're trying to figure out how much nitric acid to use in separating the gold.


but you said, "leach a concentrate from an ore". i mentioned some techniques that are often used along the way. but normally, a much more detailed question is needed before someone can answer.

it sounds like you are trying to learn about the situation where - *you have an ore containing Gold and you suspect the presence of base metals.*

you got to provide more info ! 8)


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## Dr. Poe (Jan 25, 2012)

southernau said:


> Thanks for your reply Dr. Poe. Please let me know what kind of information in needed and I will gladly give it. Thanks.


How did it become a concentrate? Was it from a stream or hard rock? Is it high in magnetite? Copper sulfides? Silver minerals? Did you separate the gold dust, and are these your tailings? Is this the head Ore? Have you done any flame tests?
Borax or soda ash bead tests? Finally, why do you believe that you have precious metals in this ore? Dr. Poe


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## southernau (Jan 25, 2012)

This is a concentrate from a carbonaceous gold ore. Ive concentrated by simple screening. Ive concentrated 1 ton down to 25 gallons of material. So far I can gravity seperate around 30% of the au in the concentrate. I have done several fire assays on the concentrate, so I know whats there as far as au is concerned. It is very high in iron and some other base metals along with a very small amount of PGMs. Thanks for the replys and help. Just wondering, is smelting the concentrate an option?


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## Dr. Poe (Jan 26, 2012)

southernau said:


> This is a concentrate from a carbonaceous gold ore. Ive concentrated by simple screening. Ive concentrated 1 ton down to 25 gallons of material. So far I can gravity seperate around 30% of the au in the concentrate. I have done several fire assays on the concentrate, so I know whats there as far as au is concerned. It is very high in iron and some other base metals along with a very small amount of PGMs. Thanks for the replys and help. Just wondering, is smelting the concentrate an option?


Very well; 25 gallons is still too much to smelt (unless your ore is worth millions per ton). If you want to leach the gold and other precious metals from a carbonaceous ore, you must use ammonium/sodium thiosulfate. This is the only commonly known chemical that will effectively leach gold from a carbonaceous ore. You can opt to pay $34 on line for a complete instruction e-book, or come back and search for the posts until you find them all. If you are serious, I suggest that you purchase the book. If you are financially in distress, let us know. Probably some of us can download the instructions to you.
The erroneous name given was 'Hypo' . It can be made also 'in situ' (home made). Whatever you decide, please decide against mercury. Dr. Poe
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ShoppingCartURL&_method=add&_eid=1-s2.0-S1003632611611187&_acct=C000228598&_version=1&_userid=10&_ts=1327665443&md5=63e2eecd891af55f30bb6b3f3e913463


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## southernau (Jan 27, 2012)

To Dr. Poe. Thanks for the advice and the link. I think it will be very helpful. Have you heard Gold Mine World? They also give detailed instructions on the same process. The reason I asked is because I have access to that information. Just wondering if its reliable info. Please let me know.


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## Palladium (Jan 28, 2012)

Dr Poe You did a great job of explaining things in this thread and i found your answers very concise and easy to understand.


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## publius (Jan 28, 2012)

Palladium said:


> Dr Poe You did a great job of explaining things in this thread and i found your answers very concise and easy to understand.


+1 8)


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## Dr. Poe (Jan 28, 2012)

southernau said:


> To Dr. Poe. Thanks for the advice and the link. I think it will be very helpful. Have you heard Gold Mine World? They also give detailed instructions on the same process. The reason I asked is because I have access to that information. Just wondering if its reliable info. Please let me know.


I couldn't tell. When I visited the site, all I found was shopping carts. I personally am not in the market.
You would have to send me a quote or two. Then I'll critique it for you. Dr. Poe :|


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## Richard36 (Jan 28, 2012)

From what I understand, 
T6 won't work if the ore is high in iron. 
(2.34 ml of T6 per gallon of water, and 75 to 100 ml of sulfuric acid {70%) to make the solution pH 2.)
(18 hours or less leach time at 40 to 60 degrees F with mechanical agitation of the ore.)

CLS is an option, and I would suggest CLS-21 or CLS-22. 
4 oz of CLS (50% concentration) per gallon of water, at a pH of 2. 
Add about 75 to 100 ml of sulfuric acid {70%) to bring the solution to pH 2. 
18 hour (or less) leach time at 40 to 60 degrees F with mechanical agitation of the ore and leach. 

Gold can be recovered by electrolysis. 
Positive to a graphite rod, negative to a stainless steel plate. 
The gold will adhere to the stainless, and can be brushed off. 

CLS can be reused once the Gold has been recovered.
Check pH and adjust accordingly with more acid and/or CLS.

Action Mining's "System 3" is designed specifically for using CLS.
Here's some photo's of one. 
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.311353365574940.71018.108943585815920&type=3

I hope this helps.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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