Microscopic gold processing

[OroMontalban]

Hello. Currently we been testing dirt/sand/rocks by using AR as a qualitative test in different areas of a property we own in San Diego California local mountains. It took us some time to figure out that we are dealing with microscopic gold that will not stick to any sluice even after trying different mats, panning is out of the question because the microscopic gold in the dirt/sand a good portion of the gold travels with the clay and it's lost by panning. We experienced same results running concentrates on blue bowl and miller table we just lose it. Since we are finding that testing qualitative with AR is promising we would like to find our options to test larger samples like a ton per day or half a ton or even a couple thousand pounds will be satisfactory. Hope there's something out there that is reliable and validated to capture microscopic gold.
Thank you

 

[goldshark]

Floatation is probably the least toxic, bulk recovery system for that quantity.

 

[nickvc]

I guess as you are in California you can’t use chemicals that could easily liberate your gold you need green alternatives , with those I can’t help , they do not exist , as far as I know, good luck and let us know if you find alternatives , we could help others.

 

[OroMontalban]

I guess as you are in California you can’t use chemicals that could easily liberate your gold you need green alternatives , with those I can’t help , they do not exist , as far as I know, good luck and let us know if you find alternatives , we could help others.

Yes I live in the country named California but don't conform to rules and regulations unless they can not be contain or properly dispose so eny suggestion is welcome

 

[SRM]

There is always a way, but it may not be economic. I think you have a fair amount of work ahead of you.

There has been a fair amount of work using glycine as a lixiviant. If it would work for you, it may be more palatable to the environmental authorities.

You will need to address the clay issue before many of the options become economic.

As a test, I would rent a gas-powered cement mixer and use it to mix and roll a test sample with some steel balls. I would run 4 tests (15 min, 30 min, 45 min and 60 min) using the same sample weight and same amount of water in each. Run the agitated sample across a table and assay both the tails and cons (#1&2 cons can be combined) to see if agitation and rolling allows the gold to separate. If anything shows promise, I would look at using flocculant, varying the water, optimizing the roll time etc.

In the words of Dennis Miller "Just my opinion, I could be wrong"

 

[OroMontalban]

There is always a way, but it may not be economic. I think you have a fair amount of work ahead of you.

There has been a fair amount of work using glycine as a lixiviant. If it would work for you, it may be more palatable to the environmental authorities.

You will need to address the clay issue before many of the options become economic.

As a test, I would rent a gas-powered cement mixer and use it to mix and roll a test sample with some steel balls. I would run 4 tests (15 min, 30 min, 45 min and 60 min) using the same sample weight and same amount of water in each. Run the agitated sample across a table and assay both the tails and cons (#1&2 cons can be combined) to see if agitation and rolling allows the gold to separate. If anything shows promise, I would look at using flocculant, varying the water, optimizing the roll time etc.

In the words of Dennis Miller "Just my opinion, I could be wrong"

Thank you for your comment definitely worth trying since I already own a cement mixer.
Best regards