The efficiency and profitability of a gold mineral processing plant depend largely on its process flow design. For the Zimbabwe 700t/d gold mineral processing plant, Xinhai Mining developed a customized process flow that addresses the unique characteristics of the raw ore (up to 6g/t gold grade) and ensures maximum gold recovery. This well-designed process, which combines traditional and innovative technologies, has been instrumental in the project’s success, delivering high recovery rates and low operational costs. To dive deeper into the process flow’s technical details and equipment specifications, you can access the full technical report through this external link
The core process flow of the plant consists of seven key stages: one-stage grinding-two-stage closed-circuit grinding and classification, gravity concentration, cyanidation, desorption electrolysis, smelting, and tailings dewatering. Each stage is carefully integrated to form a seamless workflow that optimizes gold recovery while minimizing waste and environmental impact. Let’s break down each stage to understand how they work together to achieve exceptional results.
The first stage, grinding and classification, is critical for liberating gold particles from the raw ore. Xinhai adopted a one-stage grinding-two-stage closed-circuit grinding and classification system, which is ideal for processing high-grade gold ore with varying particle sizes. In this system, the raw ore is first crushed to a suitable size and then fed into a ball mill for one-stage grinding. The ground ore is then sent to a two-stage closed-circuit classification system, which separates the ore into fine particles (suitable for subsequent processing) and coarse particles (which are returned to the ball mill for re-grinding). This closed-circuit design ensures that all ore particles are ground to the optimal size, maximizing the liberation of gold particles and laying the foundation for efficient gold recovery.
To address the challenge of gold loss in the leaching process, Xinhai added a gravity concentration step to the grinding and classification circuit. Gravity concentration is a physical separation method that uses the density difference between gold and other minerals to recover particle gold. Gold particles are significantly denser than gangue minerals, so they can be separated using equipment such as shaking tables, spiral concentrators, or centrifugal concentrators. By integrating gravity concentration at this early stage, Xinhai was able to recover coarse particle gold before it enters the cyanidation process, preventing losses that often occur when coarse gold particles are not fully leached.
The next stage is cyanidation, a widely used method for extracting gold from ore. In this process, the ground ore is mixed with a cyanide solution, which dissolves the gold to form a gold-cyanide complex. Xinhai used an optimized cyanidation process that controls factors such as pH value, cyanide concentration, and reaction time to maximize gold dissolution while minimizing cyanide consumption. This not only improves gold recovery but also reduces the environmental impact of the process by minimizing the amount of cyanide used.
After cyanidation, the gold-cyanide complex is extracted using activated carbon adsorption, followed by desorption electrolysis. The desorption electrolysis process involves stripping the gold from the activated carbon and depositing it onto electrodes through electrolysis, producing gold mud. Xinhai’s advanced desorption electrolysis system ensures high desorption efficiency (up to 98%) and low energy consumption, making the process both efficient and cost-effective. The gold mud is then sent to the smelting stage, where it is melted at high temperatures to produce pure gold ingots.
The final stage of the process is tailings dewatering. Tailings, the waste material left after gold extraction, contain water and residual minerals. Xinhai installed a high-efficiency tailings dewatering system to remove water from the tailings, reducing their volume and making them easier to store and dispose of. This not only prevents water pollution but also allows for the reuse of the recovered water in the plant, promoting water conservation.
By integrating these seven stages into a cohesive process flow, Xinhai ensured that the Zimbabwe 700t/d gold plant achieves a high gold recovery rate while adhering to environmental and safety standards. The process’s flexibility also allows for adjustments based on changes in raw ore characteristics, ensuring long-term operational stability. For a more detailed analysis of each stage’s technical parameters and performance data, visit the external link provided above.
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