Open AccessMetodología geometalúrgica para mejorar el proceso de extracción de oro en pequeña escala de la mina Gualconda en Nariño – Colombia
Author(s) -
Gabriel Kamilo Pantoja-Barrios,
Eliana Katherine Molina-Ramírez,
Silvia Natalia Fuentes-Torres,
Fabián Andrés Ramírez,
Jaime Mojica,
Jorge Iván Londoño-Escobar
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
revista uis ingenierías
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2145-8456
pISSN - 1657-4583
DOI - 10.18273/revuin.v20n1-2021013
Subject(s) - beneficiation , comminution , grinding , gravimetric analysis , particle size , mineral processing , metallurgy , sulfide , particle size distribution , materials science , mill , mineralogy , process engineering , environmental science , engineering , chemistry , mechanical engineering , chemical engineering , organic chemistry
In the gold beneficiation processes, the degree of particle size reduction is strongly influenced by the size and shape of the mineral species associated with the economically important metals. The capacity, energy consumption, and costs of the gold-bearing ore processing depend mainly on the operational parameters of the equipment of comminution and gravimetric concentration; therefore, it is essential to characterize the liberation degree of the minerals of interest as function of particle size. The small-scale mining beneficiation plants usually do not consider the liberation of sulfide particles as a requirement to define the grinding size reduction ratio, this is determined empirically, evaluating in which size a higherpercentage of gold recovery is obtained. The methodology proposed in this paper constitutes a low cost analytical technique, using the free software IMAGE-J, to determine the appropriate liberation size for sulfide particles and associated gold particles,as well as the size distribution of gold ore particles. Additionally, the Molycop-Tools software was used to simulate the best grinding strategy based on the liberation results obtained.Through the methodology of automatic image analysis to determine the liberation degree of sulfides, the mineralogical characterization, and the recommendation of a metallurgical processing strategy for the gold-bearing ore based on steady-state simulations, it was possible to establish the appropriate parameters of ball mill grinding and gravimetric concentration of the Gualconda mine in the Department of Nariño, in order to improve the gold recovery and increase the plant capacity.