### **Beneficiation of Gold from Stibnite Ore Using Pyrometallurgical Processes**
The project focuses on optimizing pyrometallurgical methods to enhance gold recovery from refractory
stibnite (Sb₂S₃) ore, where antimony-sulfide compounds encapsulate gold particles, reducing leaching
efficiency. Below is a detailed analysis aligned with the research objectives, supported by findings from
the provided search results:
---
#### **1. Optimum Roasting Temperature**
Roasting is critical to oxidize sulfides and liberate encapsulated gold. Key insights:
- **Temperature Range**: Pyrometallurgical roasting typically occurs between **500–800°C** for
stibnite ores to oxidize Sb₂S₃ into Sb₂O₃ or Sb₂O₅, which can be volatilized or removed via leaching .
Higher temperatures (e.g., 1200–1800°C) are used in smelting but may fuse gold beads, complicating
recovery .
- **Oxidative Roasting**: At **600–700°C**, stibnite decomposes effectively, reducing cyanide
consumption in subsequent leaching steps by removing antimony . Overheating risks sintering the ore,
hindering leaching.
---
#### **2. Residence Time in the Furnace**
Residence time impacts antimony removal and gold liberation:
- **Kinetic Studies**: Alkaline leaching of stibnite (e.g., with KOH) achieves **85% Sb removal** in
**12–24 hours** at 80°C . For roasting, shorter durations (e.g., **1–4 hours**) are typical, depending
on particle size and temperature .
- **Experimental Design**: A factorial design (e.g., varying time, temperature, and airflow) is
recommended to identify the shortest effective duration for sulfide decomposition .
---
#### **3. Leaching Efficiency Post-Roasting**
After roasting, cyanidation efficiency improves significantly:
- **Case Study**: Alkaline pretreatment (e.g., KOH leaching) increased gold recovery from **49% to
87.6%** and silver from **18% to 94.5%** in refractory ores .
- **Cyanide Optimization**: Post-roasting, cyanide concentrations can be reduced due to lower sulfide
interference. A **0.05–0.1% NaCN solution** is typically effective, though testing is required to balance
cost and efficiency .
---
#### **4. Cost-Benefit Analysis**
**Financial Impact**:
- **Losses Without Pretreatment**: Annual losses of **74.4 kg Au** (worth ~$4.39M at $56/g)
highlight the urgency of improving recovery [citation:User Data].
- **Roasting Costs**: Energy consumption for roasting at 600–800°C and furnace maintenance are
major expenses. However, increasing recovery to **90%** could offset these costs, yielding
**$6.3M/year** (14 kg/month × $56/g × 12 months).
- **Comparative Methods**: Alkaline leaching (e.g., Na₂S) is cheaper than KOH but less effective , while
pyrometallurgy offers faster processing but higher energy demands .
---
#### **5. Methodology Refinement**
To address objectives:
1. **Sample Preparation**: Grind ore to **5–50 µm** for uniform roasting and leaching .
2. **Roasting Trials**: Test temperatures (500–800°C) and durations (1–6 hours) in a muffle furnace.
3. **Leaching Tests**: Use AAS to measure gold in leachates and tailings. Compare cyanide
concentrations (0.05–0.2% NaCN).
4. **Mineralogical Analysis**: Post-roasting XRD/XRF can confirm antimony removal and gold
liberation .
---
### **Conclusion**
Pyrometallurgical roasting at **600–700°C for 2–4 hours** is optimal for stibnite decomposition,
enabling **>85% gold recovery** via cyanidation. Implementing this process could recover **~6.2
kg/month** of otherwise lost gold, generating **~$3.7M/year** in additional revenue. Further studies
should explore hybrid methods (e.g., roasting + alkaline leaching) to maximize cost efficiency .
### **Experimental Procedures for Each Research Objective**
Based on the project goals and insights from the search results, here’s a detailed experimental plan to
address each objective. Relevant citations are included to align methodologies with prior research
findings.
---
#### **1. Objective: Determine the Optimum Roasting Temperature**
**Procedure**:
1. **Sample Preparation**:
- Grind stibnite ore to a uniform particle size of **5–50 µm** to ensure consistent roasting .
- Split into batches (e.g., 100g each).
2. **Roasting Trials**:
- Use a muffle furnace to roast samples at **500°C, 600°C, 700°C, and 800°C** for **2 hours** under
controlled airflow (oxidizing conditions) .
- Monitor weight loss and antimony (Sb) content post-roasting via XRF/XRD to assess sulfide
decomposition and Sb volatilization .
3. **Analysis**:
- Leach roasted samples with **0.1% NaCN** for 24 hours.
- Measure gold recovery using AAS. Optimal temperature corresponds to the highest Au recovery with
minimal Sb residue .
---
#### **2. Objective: Determine Residence Time in the Furnace**
**Procedure**:
1. **Fixed Temperature**:
- Roast samples at the previously determined optimal temperature (e.g., 600–700°C).
2. **Time Variation**:
- Test residence times: **1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 hours** .
- Track Sb removal efficiency using ICP-OES or titration.
3. **Kinetic Modeling**:
- Apply the **shrinking core model** to analyze reaction rates and identify the shortest time for >85%
Sb removal .
---
#### **3. Objective: Determine Leaching Efficiency of Treated Ore**
**Procedure**:
1. **Post-Roasting Leaching**:
- Grind roasted ore to **≤50 µm** and prepare a pulp density of **30% solids** .
- Leach using **0.1% NaCN** at pH 10.5–11.5 for **24 hours** with mechanical agitation (250 rpm) .
2. **Efficiency Metrics**:
- Measure Au concentration in leachates via AAS.
- Calculate recovery: \( \text{Recovery (\%)} = \frac{\text{Au in solution}}{\text{Au in ore}} \times
100 \).
- Compare with untreated ore (baseline ~30% recovery) to quantify improvement .
---
#### **4. Objective: Determine Optimum Cyanide Concentration**
**Procedure**:
1. **Cyanide Variation**:
- Test NaCN concentrations: **0.05%, 0.1%, 0.15%, and 0.2%** .
2. **Leaching Conditions**:
- Use pretreated (roasted) ore under fixed parameters (24 hours, pH 10.5, 250 rpm).
3. **Cost-Efficiency Balance**:
- Plot recovery vs. cyanide consumption. Optimal concentration balances high Au recovery (>85%) with
minimal cyanide use .
---
#### **5. Objective: Cost-Benefit Analysis**
**Procedure**:
1. **Cost Estimation**:
- Calculate energy costs for roasting (e.g., kWh/kg ore at 600–800°C) and cyanide consumption per
ton .
- Include labor, furnace maintenance, and waste treatment.
2. **Revenue Projection**:
- Estimate recovered Au: \( \text{Additional Revenue} = \text{Recovered Au (kg/year)} \times \
$56,000/\text{kg} \).
- Example: Recovering **6.2 kg/month** (74.4 kg/year) yields **\$4.17M/year** [citation:User Data].
3. **Comparative Analysis**:
- Compare pyrometallurgy with alternative methods (e.g., alkaline leaching with Na₂S/NaOH, which
costs less but requires longer durations ).
---
### **General Notes for All Experiments**
- **Replicates**: Conduct triplicate trials for statistical validity.
- **Safety**: Use fume hoods for roasting/leaching, and neutralize cyanide waste with H₂O₂.
- **Data Validation**: Confirm mineralogical changes post-roasting using XRD/XRF .
### **Expected Outcomes**
- Pyrometallurgical roasting at **600–700°C for 2–4 hours** is projected to achieve **>85% Au
recovery**, reducing annual losses by **\$3.7M** .
- Hybrid methods (e.g., roasting + alkaline pretreatment) may further optimize costs .
Let me know if you need further refinement! 😊
### **Detailed Experimental Procedures for Each Objective**
Below is a step-by-step breakdown for each research objective, ensuring clarity and reproducibility in a
laboratory setting.
---
#### **1. Objective: Determine the Optimum Roasting Temperature**
**Materials/Equipment**:
- Stibnite ore samples
- Jaw crusher, ball mill, sieve (5–50 µm)
- Muffle furnace (0–1200°C)
- Alumina crucibles
- X-ray fluorescence (XRF) or X-ray diffraction (XRD)
- Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS)
- Sodium cyanide (NaCN), pH adjusters (lime or NaOH)
**Procedure**:
1. **Sample Preparation**:
- Crush the stibnite ore using a jaw crusher.
- Grind the crushed ore in a ball mill to achieve a particle size of **5–50 µm**.
- Sieve the ground ore to ensure uniformity.
- Split into 10 batches of 100g each.
2. **Roasting Trials**:
- Preheat the muffle furnace to **500°C**.
- Place one batch in an alumina crucible and insert into the furnace.
- Maintain at **500°C for 2 hours** with airflow set to **5 L/min** (oxidizing conditions).
- Repeat for **600°C, 700°C, and 800°C**.
3. **Post-Roasting Analysis**:
- Cool the roasted samples to room temperature.
- Measure weight loss to estimate sulfide decomposition.
- Use XRF/XRD to analyze Sb₂O₃/Sb₂O₅ content and confirm gold liberation.
4. **Cyanidation Test**:
- Leach each roasted sample with **0.1% NaCN solution** (pH 10.5–11.5) for **24 hours** in an
agitated tank.
- Filter the leachate and analyze gold content via AAS.
- Calculate recovery:
\[
\text{Recovery (\%)} = \frac{\text{Au in leachate (g)}}{\text{Au in ore (g)}} \times 100
\]
5. **Optimization**:
- Select the temperature with the highest gold recovery and lowest residual antimony.
---
#### **2. Objective: Determine Residence Time in the Furnace**
**Materials/Equipment**:
- Pre-optimized temperature (e.g., 600°C)
- Muffle furnace, stopwatch
- ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy)
**Procedure**:
1. **Sample Preparation**:
- Prepare 5 batches of 100g ground ore (5–50 µm).
2. **Roasting at Fixed Temperature**:
- Preheat the furnace to the optimal temperature (e.g., 600°C).
- Roast each batch for **1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 hours** with constant airflow (5 L/min).
3. **Antimony Removal Analysis**:
- Digest 10g of each roasted sample in aqua regia.
- Use ICP-OES to measure residual antimony in the solution.
- Calculate Sb removal efficiency:
\[
\text{Sb Removal (\%)} = \frac{\text{Initial Sb - Residual Sb}}{\text{Initial Sb}} \times 100
\]
4. **Kinetic Modeling**:
- Apply the **shrinking core model** to plot Sb removal vs. time.
- Identify the shortest time achieving **>85% Sb removal**.
---
#### **3. Objective: Determine Leaching Efficiency of Treated Ore**
**Materials/Equipment**:
- Roasted ore (from Objective 1)
- Agitated leaching tanks, AAS
- NaCN, pH meters, lime
**Procedure**:
1. **Leachate Preparation**:
- Grind roasted ore to **≤50 µm**.
- Prepare a slurry with **30% solids density** (e.g., 300g ore in 1L water).
2. **Leaching Process**:
- Adjust pH to **10.5–11.5** using lime.
- Add **0.1% NaCN** to the slurry.
- Agitate at **250 rpm for 24 hours** at room temperature.
3. **Analysis**:
- Filter the slurry to separate leachate and residue.
- Digest the residue in aqua regia and analyze via AAS to determine unrecovered gold.
- Calculate leaching efficiency using the recovery formula (see Objective 1).
4. **Comparison**:
- Repeat leaching with untreated ore to establish a baseline (e.g., ~30% recovery).
---
#### **4. Objective: Determine Optimum Cyanide Concentration**
**Materials/Equipment**:
- Roasted ore (from Objective 1)
- NaCN solutions (0.05%, 0.1%, 0.15%, 0.2%)
**Procedure**:
1. **Leaching Setup**:
- Prepare four leaching tanks with 100g roasted ore each.
- Add **0.05%, 0.1%, 0.15%, and 0.2% NaCN** solutions (pH 10.5–11.5).
2. **Leaching Process**:
- Agitate all tanks at **250 rpm for 24 hours**.
3. **Analysis**:
- Measure gold in leachates via AAS.
- Plot recovery (%) vs. cyanide concentration.
4. **Cost-Benefit**:
- Calculate cyanide consumption per ton of ore.
- Select the concentration yielding **>85% recovery** with minimal NaCN use.
---
#### **5. Objective: Cost-Benefit Analysis**
**Materials/Equipment**:
- Energy consumption data, market prices for reagents, labor rates
**Procedure**:
1. **Cost Calculation**:
- **Energy**: Calculate kWh/kg ore roasted (e.g., 600°C for 2 hours = 8 kWh/kg).
- **Reagents**: Estimate NaCN cost at **\$3/kg** and lime at **\$0.5/kg**.
- **Labor**: Include hourly wages for technicians (e.g., \$20/hour).
2. **Revenue Projection**:
- Annual recovered gold = **6.2 kg/month × 12 = 74.4 kg/year**.
- Revenue = **74.4 kg × \$56,000/kg = \$4.17M/year**.
3. **Net Profit**:
- Subtract total costs (energy, reagents, labor) from revenue.
- Example:
\[
\text{Net Profit} = \$4.17M - (\$200,000 \text{ energy} + \$50,000 \text{ reagents} + \$100,000 \
text{ labor}) = \$3.82M
\]
4. **Comparison with Alternatives**:
- Compare with alkaline leaching (e.g., Na₂S costs \$2/kg but requires 48 hours).
---
### **General Notes**
- **Safety**: Use PPE (gloves, goggles), fume hoods for roasting/leaching, and neutralize cyanide waste
with hydrogen peroxide.
- **Replicates**: Perform all experiments in triplicate.
- **Data Recording**: Log temperature, time, weight loss, and recovery for each trial.
Let me know if you need adjustments! 🔬
