Refractory Gold - A Practitioner's Handbook

Refractory Gold Processing: A Practitioner’s Handbook is a practical guide to diagnosing these ores and selecting the pretreatment route most likely to unlock their value.

Written for metallurgists, mineral process engineers, consultants, plant personnel and students, this handbook follows refractory gold processing from first principles through to route selection. It explains the mineralogical and chemical causes of refractoriness, the use of diagnostic leaching and process mineralogy, and the testwork needed to define how far oxidation must proceed.

The main treatment routes are examined in turn: ultra-fine grinding and Albion-type processing, roasting, pressure oxidation, bio-oxidation and atmospheric chemical oxidation. The book also covers downstream leaching, preg-robbing control, neutralisation, arsenic stabilisation, effluent management and comparative process economics.

A single arsenopyrite-hosted, doubly refractory reference ore is carried through the book, giving the discussion a practical thread from diagnosis to final flowsheet choice.

Part of the Mineral Process Engineering Series, this volume is written for readers who need more than a catalogue of technologies. It offers a connected, practitioner-focused explanation of how refractory gold ores behave, how they should be tested, and how a defensible treatment route is selected.