Recovery of Gold from Refractory Ores and Concentrates Using the Sirosmelt Reactor

The recovery of gold from refractory ores and concentrates can be achieved in a number of ways using roasting and leaching procedures. The Sirosmelt system introduces a new approach to the recovery of gold from these materials using smelting procedures. Laboratory studies were carried out to establish procedures for operating the Sirosmelt system for recovery of gold and associated valuable elements from an ore containing 17.5 g/t gold and a concentrate containing 22 g/t gold as well as substantial copper levels. Copper, iron, lead and matte were evaluated as collecting phases for the gold. The ore smelting procedure recovered 80-90% of the gold whilst smelting concentrate gave 98-99% gold recovery.