CONTROLLING SO2 EMISSIONS IN THE ROASTING OF GOLD CONCENTRATE

Acid pressure oxidation is generally believed to be the most effective pretreatment for refractory sulfide gold ores and concentrates, although it is ineffective for some ores. For such ores and concentrates (usually those containing both carbonaceous and sulfide materials), roasting remains the most effective pretreatment before cyanidation. However, the serious environmental damage that could result from the emission of SO2 and As2O3 makes roasting an unattractive pretreatment step. In an effort to develop a technique having lower SO2 emissions, a lime agglomeration roast (LAR) pretreatment process was investigated. The technique involves the agglomeration of calcium-based SO2 sorbent with the refractory ore or concentrate before roasting. The results of the LAR pretreatment followed by cyanidation indicate that up to 95 percent of the sulfur dioxide can be captured and more than 90 percent gold extraction can be achieved.