3 Methods for Extracting Oxidized Gold Ores

Common oxidized gold ores may contain minerals such as iron oxides, iron hydroxides, and various clay minerals. These minerals are usually oxidized from iron-containing sulfide minerals common in gold-bearing deposits.

Oxidized gold ores may present different challenges when it comes to gold extraction compared to unoxidized ores. The presence of oxidized minerals and compounds may affect the efficiency of gold in the beneficiation process, so specific technologies are required to efficiently recover gold.

Depending on the degree of oxidation, different extraction methods such as cyanidation, flotation, or other chemical processes may be used. The following will introduce you to the oxidized gold extraction process.

Cyanidation Extraction of Oxidized Gold Ore

Cyanidation is one of the most commonly used gold extraction methods and is particularly suitable for processing oxidized gold ores. The process involves the use of cyanide to form a soluble gold-cyanide complex with gold under alkaline conditions. The gold is then separated and recovered from the solution by methods such as adsorption, precipitation, or electrolysis.

Sulfidation Extraction Method for Oxidized Gold Ore

For oxidized gold ores, sulfidation extraction methods can be used to convert oxidized gold minerals into sulfide minerals, which are generally more suitable for traditional sulfidation treatment techniques. Sulfidation extraction methods for oxidized gold ores include roasting, high-pressure oxidation, biological oxidation, chemical sulfidation, etc. After sulfidation treatment of the gold ore, gold can be extracted from the resulting sulfide minerals using traditional sulfidation treatment methods such as flotation or cyanidation.

Oxidation Roasting Extraction Method for Oxidized Gold Ore

For some oxidized gold ores, oxidative roasting can be used to extract gold. This method involves exposing the ore to oxygen at high temperatures to oxidize the gold into soluble compounds. Subsequently, leaching methods can be used to extract the gold from the oxidized products. The oxidative roasting extraction methods for oxidized gold ores mainly include: direct smelting, chlorination roasting, acid roasting, high-pressure oxidation, etc. After oxidative roasting, various extraction methods such as cyanidation, flotation or leaching can be used to recover gold from the oxidized products.