Recovery of Gold, Silver and Copper from ore

Gold Refining Forum

Help Support Gold Refining Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Thomas Doyle

New member
Joined
Jan 11, 2023
Messages
2
Location
Montana
I have a copper oxide ore from my mine that analysis shows it is 23% copper and smaller but significant amounts of sliver and gold by weight. Does anyone have any suggestions how to separate the copper, silver and gold?
 
I have a copper oxide ore from my mine that analysis shows it is 23% copper and smaller but significant amounts of sliver and gold by weight. Does anyone have any suggestions how to separate the copper, silver and gold?
Gold and Silver will usually follow the Copper.

So you could just mine the Copper?
Then run a Copper cell, the Gold and Silver will report to the slimes from the Copper cell.
 
What is the anode in this suggestion?
Smelted blister copper. Ore would be concentrated by gravity, eventually processed and concentrates smelted. After some pyrometallurgical cleaning, it will be suitable for electrorafination in the cell. Byproduct would be slimes containing precious metals (which won´t pass to the solution, if the voltage/current are set right). Common practice in copper refineries.
 
Depends on the scale of mining you propose to do.
If you have a large deposit the easiest and cheapest way is to get a gravity con and sell the con to a processor for them to treat, you will get a percentage payment for the precious metals as well as the copper presuming that the gold and silver levels meet the processor's minimum grades.
If you are looking at small scale treatment then the usual method is to do a sulphuric leach, usually as a heap leach, to recover the copper.
The tailings are then given an alkaline rinse followed by cyanide for the precious metals.
You can then see if it is viable to chase the precious metals, it all depends on the grade and recovery% of these metals.
Deano
 
Back
Top