Prueba metalúrgica para determinar el factor GRG (Gravity Gold Recovery) en el Equipo Knelson (KCMD3) con material de mina del distrito minero Chito Zamora Chinchipe

Abstract

The present research work was carried out in South of Ecuador, specifically in the province of Zamora Chinchipe - Chito Mining Sector. This research was developed in order to seek an alternative to traditional mining methods. These methods are employed by artisanal mining for the recovery of gold as technified extraction with mercury, cyanidation among others. As alternate to these methods we present a friendly alternative with the environment that is the metallurgical test. This test consists of determining the factor GRG (Gravity Gold Recovery). For the development of the metallurgical test we used a Knelson concentrator (KC - MD3), and special laboratory equipment that serves for recovery of several minerals, in this case gold. The metallurgical test employed consists of three stages of milling and sequential concentration. The parameters of the equipment to be considered in the test are: water pressure, flow rate, speed of rotation and rotational forces. As for the material to be tested we should take into account its granulometry and sequential grinding, so it is necessary to determine the milling times before proceeding with the metallurgical test. The milling times used were: 3, 10 y 30 minutes; its D80 were: 752, 209 y 70 µm respectively. It was obtained an average GRG factor of 81.58% in two tests performed.