This is a small scale gold ore processing plant, that uses gravity concentration to separate the gold from the rock material. It had a capacity of 1/2 ton per hour, and was used in West Africa. This particular mine had eluvial, placer and small vein ore, with veins averaging 2-3 inches, in a stockwork formation. This pilot scale plant was used to determine the recovery and efficiency of gravity concentration on the ore at this site, and would be compared to leaching and other methods they were considering.

Gravity concentration turned out to be the most cost effective method to recover the oxide ore containing free gold. The plant had a primary jaw crusher, a trommel scrubber and screen to remove oversize and wash the fines from the coarde material, a roll crusher, a Knelson centrifugal concentrator and a Deister Table, to clean up the concentrates. .

By Charles Kubach, Mining and Mineral Processing Engineer

 

 

The author, standing in front of the pilot plant