Well, now let’s talk a bit about sulphide gold, alright? You see, sulphide gold isn’t the kind of gold you just find shining in the dirt. Nope, it’s tied up all funny with other minerals, and getting it out takes some work, let me tell you. Sulphide minerals got a mix of metals in ’em, like gold, silver, and sometimes even some platinum. So, folks in the gold industry, they look at sulphide gold as a real tough nut to crack. But it’s worth it if you can get to that shiny bit, ya know?
Now, there’s this thing called Gold(I) sulfide, a compound where you got gold all mixed up with sulfur. The fancy name for it is Au2S, but ain’t no need to remember that unless you like those sciencey things. This compound, it doesn’t just hand over the gold easy. It breaks down into gold and sulfur if you give it enough heat, but that’s not something just anybody can do. Takes some machines and heatin’ up hotter than any kitchen stove, that’s for sure!
Most sulphide gold ores, they got little tiny bits of gold in a bunch of other minerals, like pyrite, which is fool’s gold, and stuff called arsenopyrite. Now, don’t go playing with that arsenopyrite, ’cause it’s got arsenic, and you know that’s poison. But there’s gold in there, if you know how to get it out. Gold’s locked up real tight, so they got special ways to crack it open. First, they go about it with something called roasting or sometimes pressure oxidation. Those are some strong methods, yeah, but they can break apart that sulfide and set the gold free.
Now, there’s another way to get the gold out of sulphide ores, a bit gentler, using what they call thiosulfate. That’s a green, non-toxic way, so they say. The industry folks like that, ’cause it don’t harm the earth as much. In some places, they’re tryin’ hard to use that way more, ’cause it’s kinder on the environment.
Let me tell you, though, this whole business of gettin’ gold from sulphide ain’t easy. They gotta grind up the rock to fine powder first, like flour almost, and then they send it through all sorts of processes. They got something called a flotation process, where they rough up the stuff first, then concentrate it, and finally they send it through what they call scavenging. It’s a whole lot of steps, but it’s all about getting every last speck of that precious gold out of the rock.
- Step One: Break up the ore with roasting or pressure oxidation, to break down the sulfide minerals.
- Step Two: Crush it and grind it to fine powder, and put it through the flotation process.
- Step Three: Concentrate that gold with roughing, scavenging, and more concentrating until they got the gold separated.
They even say some gold hides in these ores as tiny little nano-bits. You can’t see it, not even if you squint real hard, but it’s there. To get that kind of gold out, you need special processes, like roasting. When you roast it just right, the sulfide burns off, leaving that pure gold ready for collectin’.
Now, let’s not forget some folks use Sulph Gold, which ain’t gold at all but a fungicide! This is used for crops to keep away nasty spots and fungus. It’s got sulphur in it, which is mighty helpful for plants like grapes, mangoes, apples, and whatnot. It won’t help you get gold, but it’ll keep your fields lookin’ green and healthy.
So, that’s the scoop on sulphide gold. It’s hard work, no doubt, but for those in the business, it’s worth it. They got big machines, all kinds of chemicals, and a whole lotta patience to get that gold out. And when they do, it shines up just like any other gold, no matter where it came from.
Tags:[sulphide gold, gold extraction, refractory gold ore, flotation process, pressure oxidation, sulphide minerals, thiosulfate, Sulph Gold fungicide]