Pengaruh Perlakuan Amalgamasi Terhadap Tingkat Perolehan Emas dan Kehilangan Merkuri

Abstract

The gold ore as the result from selective mining "small scale mining" in Waluran, Sukabumi had been used as a raw material for the experimentation of amalgamation. The objective of this experiment is to obtain the trend of influence from factor of feed assay and the treatment of amalgamation to the recovery of gold metal and the looseness of mercury (Hg). The experimentation was carried out by the factorial design from two factors. The treatment of amalgamation was carried out only to the process feed assay factor (low and high grade ore) and time factor of amalgamation process (direct and indirect process) relating to the input of mercury in amalgamator. These two factors were determined as independent variable. While the recovery of gold metal and the lossless of mercury were determined as dependent variable). The result of experimentation indicated that the treatment factor of amalgamation relating to the input of mercury in the amalgamator by indirect process is more dominant than the process feed assay factor. By this method both low grade and high grade of gold ore trend to increase the recovery of gold metal and to decrease of mercury. The amalgamation process with indirect process is better than the direct process, and it is indicated by the recovery of gold metal of 14,580 %, in addition to decrease of mercury of 3,933 %. It is hoped that the experimentation result of this amalgamation can be used as a reference in designing of the experimentation of amalgamation as well as the application in the gold mining industry.