Researchers have made notable progress in quantifying refractory components causing gold losses in traditional extraction methods. The potential for improving gold recoveries lies in targeted re-treatment of the 'invisible' gold fraction hosted within various ore minerals, even at low concentrations. This study presents a methodology for analysing the refractory components that cause gold losses in traditional extraction methods. The approach utilizes automated mineralogical techniques in conjunction with in-situ laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA ICP-MS) to characterize low-grade refractory ores and assess gold deportment. The methodology combines pre-concentration gravity separation, traditional chemical and mineral techniques, and LA ICP-MS to generate comprehensive datasets. To demonstrate the practical application of the methodology, a case study was conducted on historical tailings material from Witwatersrand's Evander Goldfield in South Africa. The case study aimed to determine the mineralogical distribution of gold that cannot be extracted through cyanidation. The results indicated that invisible gold is primarily hosted in pyrite (with an average concentration of 10.21 ppm representing 32 % of total gold), other sulphides (with an average concentration of 1.29 ppm representing 0.42 % of total gold), and oxides (with an average concentration of 0.50 ppm representing 1 % of total gold). The remaining gold is present in discrete fine cyanide amenable phases (with 28 % deportment) and silicate-hosted phases (with 39 % deportment). Environmental monitoring of the Witwatersrand tailings material revealed a net “acid-producing” nature, with high concentrations of heavy metals (such as As, Cu, Pb, Mn, Hg, and Ni) associated with sulphides (with over 78 % deportment). The deportment information obtained through this approach can optimize ore processing strategies and provide valuable insights for future remediation plans. By characterizing the refractory components causing gold losses and understanding the distribution of gold within the ore, this methodology offers the potential to enhance gold recovery and improve the efficiency of ore processing operations.

中文翻译：

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使用自动化矿物学结合 LA ICP-MS 表征低品位难熔金矿石

研究人员在量化传统提取方法中导致金损失的难熔成分方面取得了显着进展。提高金回收率的潜力在于对各种矿石矿物中存在的“看不见的”金部分进行有针对性的再处理，即使是低浓度的。本研究提出了一种分析传统提取方法中导致金损失的难熔成分的方法。该方法利用自动化矿物学技术与原位激光烧蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱 (LA ICP-MS) 相结合来表征低品位难熔矿石并评估金的品相。该方法结合了预浓缩重力分离、传统化学和矿物技术以及 LA ICP-MS，生成全面的数据集。为了证明该方法的实际应用，对南非威特沃特斯兰德 (Witwatersrand) 埃万德金矿 (Evander Goldfield) 的历史尾矿材料进行了案例研究。该案例研究旨在确定无法通过氰化法提取的金的矿物分布。结果表明，隐形金主要赋存于黄铁矿（平均浓度为 10.21 ppm，占金总量的 32%）、其他硫化物（平均浓度为 1.29 ppm，占金总量的 0.42%）和氧化物（含平均浓度为 0.50 ppm，占黄金总量的 1%）。剩余的金存在于离散的细氰化物顺应相（具有 28% 的性能）和硅酸盐主相（具有 39% 的性能）中。对 Witwatersrand 尾矿材料的环境监测揭示了其净“产酸”性质，其中含有与硫化物相关的高浓度重金属（例如 As、Cu、Pb、Mn、Hg 和 Ni）（排放量超过 78%）。通过这种方法获得的搬运信息可以优化矿石加工策略，并为未来的修复计划提供有价值的见解。通过表征导致金损失的难熔成分并了解矿石中金的分布，该方法提供了提高金回收率和提高矿石加工作业效率的潜力。