PROCESS DESIGN FOR IGUN ORE DEPOSIT IN ILESHA GOLDFIELD
PROCESS DESIGN FOR IGUN ORE DEPOSIT IN ILESHA GOLDFIELD
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Date
1998-02-03
Authors
AJAYI, JOHN ADE
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Abstract
Occurrence of economic quantities of gold deposits over a large expanse of
area and in finely disseminated form has been reported in Ilesha (Western
Nigeria). The problem, however, has been inavailabity of appropriate technology
for efficient recovery of gold. This is the thrust of this work.
This investigation, process design for Igun ore deposit in Ilesha goldfield,
is aimed at proposing process flowchart for efficient recovery / extraction of
gold from Ilesha gold ore accentuating on Igun deposit. The research essentially
entails preliminary investigation, mineral processing and mineralogical
characterisation of the ore which involve sampling, concentration, particle
size analysis, ore chemical analysis by fire-assay-gravimetric and atomic absorption
spectrophotometric methods, petrography and x-ray diffractometry.
In addition, amenability assessment of Igun gold deposit to amalgamation
and percolation leaching was carried out.
It has been established that free gold is scanty in the ore, rather the gold
occurs as specks and inclusions finely disseminated in sulphide and quartz
phases. It is postulated that Ilesha alluvial gold ore of which Igun gold
deposit is a paradigm belongs to a non-refactory class. The experimental
results confirm this as the gold ore is amenable to percolation cyanidation
leaching but responded poorly to amalgamation. At the optimum leaching
parameters of 6-hour retention time, sodium cyanide concentration of 0.3%
and hydrogen ion concentration (pH) of 11.5, the highest recovery (63.60%)
was obtained with the smallest size fraction of -75µm. These results form
the basis for the evolution of a process flowchart for recovery of gold from
Igun ore deposit which is aimed at sustainable gold production under safe
environmental conditions.
Description
THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL,
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA FOR
THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
DEPARTMENT OF METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING,
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING,
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIA
Keywords
PROCESS,, DESIGN,, IGUN,, ORE,, DEPOSIT,, ILESHA,, GOLDFIELD.