Investigation of the effect of cyanidation after microwave roasting treatment on refractory gold/silver ores by characterization studies

Abstract

In this article, the efficiency of microwave pretreatment, which is an environmentally friendly, low-energy consuming method for recovery from refractory gold-silver ores, was investigated. The ore sample belonged to the oxidized Bolkardağ deposit, which contains carbonate (calcite, dolomite, smithsonite, hydrozincite), silicate (quartz, hemimorphite), sulfate (beudantite, plumbo-jarosite), and iron oxy/oxyhydroxide (hematite, limonite) minerals. Sulfur/sulfate-bearing silver and gold minerals are found either together with gangue minerals or in inclusions. Approximately 90% gold and 48% silver recovery efficiencies were achieved with the cyanide process after microwave preroasting from the ore. Additionally, the ore, heat treatment product, and waste samples were investigated by characterization studies. In these studies, bond structures, mineral content, sample mass losses, element percentage content differences, and mineral percentage content differences in the samples were determined. As a result, the microwave pretreatment application in cyanidation was presented as a new research topic in terms of its application in the valuable refractory content of this type of oxide.