Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more

Commercial hard-rock gold processing turns run-of-mine (ROM) rock into a gold-silver alloy called doré through a linked series of size-reduction, concentration, leaching, adsorption, recovery and waste-management steps. The usual route is to crush and grind the ore, recover any suitably coarse free gold by gravity, leach exposed gold with sodium cyanide, capture dissolved gold on activated carbon in CIP or CIL tanks, then elute, electrowin and smelt the recovered metal.

There is no universal gold-recovery percentage, residence time or doré composition. Mineralogy, gold liberation, hardness, sulphide content, plant design and operating controls determine the flowsheet. A mine may omit gravity or flotation, use a concentrate-leach circuit, or choose CIP instead of CIL after metallurgical testing.

1. Mining produces the plant feed

Gold processing begins with ROM ore, not with a uniform powder. Drill-and-blast open-pit mining or underground stoping breaks the ore, which is then hauled to a crusher or to a stockpile. ROM is the plant feed for the projects described here; the mining method, truck fleet, haul distances and stockpile arrangement are specific to each project.

Free tools Windows power users keep installed

One-click scans. No signup required.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Before the plant is designed, samples are tested for head grade, gold grain size, association with sulphide minerals, clay content, hardness, preg-robbing behavior and elements that can consume cyanide or foul activated carbon. Those results determine how much crushing and grinding is needed and whether gravity, flotation, pre-aeration or a different leach treatment is justified.

#1 Best Overall
Sale
Compressed Air Duster,130000RPM Super Power Cordless Air Duster,Rechargeable Brushless Blower,3 Gear Adjustable Blower with LED Light,Dust Remover for Computer/House/Outdoor/Car
  • Powerful Turbo Fan:CAGIWIRU Electric Air Duster have reached speed up to 130000RPM,Can efficient remove dust and debris.With LED light and Three Adjustable Speed to meet with different cleaning tasks.
  • With Attached USB C Fasting Charging cable.Charing 3 hours,Enjoy up to 240 minutes of use on the lowest setting, For third speed can use for 25mins.with four charging options to meet with your needs.
  • Wide Application: attached 5 different nozzles,making it suitable for a variety of scenes, such as car,pet, pc, keyboards, and other electronic devices. It also serves for office and home clean duster.
  • Handy Design & Portable:Cordless air duster electric nozzle is Light weight and small size, design and comfortable to hold and space saving, convenient to carry around. You can put it in your room or inside the car without taking up space.
  • Economical &Reusable: Built durable materials with a long-lasting battery,our CAGIWIRU air duster it's a sustainable alternative to disposable air cans.

2. Crushing and coarse-ore stockpiling

Primary crushing

ROM rock is fed to a jaw or gyratory crusher. The crusher reduces large blasts of rock to a size that conveyors and the grinding circuit can handle. The product is commonly conveyed to a coarse-ore stockpile.

Stockpile and reclaim

The stockpile buffers interruptions in mining and evens out mill feed. Reclaim feeders draw ore from the stockpile at a controlled rate. Tocantinzinho’s published design specifically places primary crushing before a coarse-ore stockpile and reclaim system.

3. Grinding and classification liberate the gold

Crushed ore is mixed with water and reduced further in semi-autogenous (SAG) mills, ball mills or a combination of the two. The objective is liberation: gold particles must be exposed from the surrounding quartz, rock or sulphide minerals without spending excessive energy making an unnecessarily fine slurry.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Hydrocyclones classify the ground slurry. Coarser particles return to the mill, while particles fine enough for downstream treatment overflow to the gravity, flotation or leach circuit. A published Tocantinzinho design uses a final grinding P80 of 125 micrometres. P80 means 80 percent of the material is finer than that size; it is a design value for that project, not a global standard.

4. Optional concentration before leaching

Gravity recovery of coarse free gold

Some ores contain liberated, relatively coarse gold that can be recovered before cyanidation. Centrifugal concentrators or other gravity devices are installed on an appropriate part of the grinding circuit. The gravity concentrate may receive intensive cyanidation and separate electrowinning, reducing the amount of coarse gold that must pass through the main leach circuit.

Rank #2
EVEO® Screen Cleaner Spray Kit (Streak-Free) TV Screen Cleaner for Smart TV, Lcd, LEd, Oled | Computer Screen Cleaner Spray and Wipe Microfiber Cloth - TV, Monitor, Laptop, iPad, Car - 6.7oz 1 Pack
  • Screen Cleaner is Your Screen’s New Bestfriend! - EVEO is proud to present a screen cleaner that’s perfectly suited for your TV. Meet your new screen cleaner, computer screen cleaner, laptop cleaner, iPad cleaner, Macbook,tv cleaner or any other electronic device. Our screen cleaner spray and wipe along with the included plush microfiber cloth, easily removes dust, fingerprints & other smudges on the screen’s surface. Clean effectively for a streak-free screen
  • Gentle on your Screens - Our screen cleaner spray and wipes is compatible to be used even for the most sensitive LCD, LED, CRT, and OLED screens in proper use. Be at ease knowing that this product is compatible with all the major brands: LG, SONY, Samsung, Sharp, iPad, iPhone, Android screens, Kindle, PC monitors - we’ve got you covered! Can be used as LCD screen cleaner, tv cleaner, smart tv screen cleaner, and more
  • Premium Super Soft Plush Microfiber Cloth - Included in this efficient screen cleaning kit. This screen cleaner spray and wipe has our signature plush microfiber cloth specially designed to comply with screens and monitors and leave them streak-free. Has been shown to effectively absorbs stubborn stains, zero streaks, and no fiber shedding. Always use this together with our screen cleaner for the best results
  • Easy-to-Use Screen Cleaner Kit + microfiber cleaning cloth - The EVEO Screen Cleaning Kit will easily be your new favorite tool when it comes to taking care of the things you love most, quick and easy solution for a streak-free screen. Simply screw on the sprayer gun on the screen cleaner bottle. Spray the cleaning liquid onto the microfiber cloth, then wipe the screen until desired cleanliness & shine is achieved.
  • Quality Screen Care Kit Worth Purchasing - Enjoy a convenient Screen Cleaner anytime, anywhere you need it. Your satisfaction is our top priority. We stand behind the quality of our products and that’s why, you shouldn’t be worrying at all. We manufacture the Best Screen Cleaner. and can be used for laptop cleaning kit, laptop screen cleaner, tv screen cleaner for smart tv. MacBook screen cleaner, monitor cleaner or screen cleaner spray for electronic devices with microfiber cleaning cloth

Gravity is not automatically beneficial. If gold is very fine, locked in sulphide minerals or distributed throughout the rock, a gravity circuit may recover little and add cost and operating complexity.

Flotation of sulphide-associated gold

When gold is hosted by sulphide minerals, flotation can produce a sulphide concentrate rather than treating all of the ore in the same way. The concentrate may be reground and then cyanide-leached. Tocantinzinho’s reported flowsheet includes a two-stage sulphide flotation circuit.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Flotation changes the mass and chemistry of the material entering leaching. It can concentrate gold and sulphides into a smaller stream, but it requires reagent control, additional equipment and a suitable response from the ore. A whole-ore leach is often simpler when flotation cannot make a valuable, readily leachable concentrate.

5. Conditioning and cyanide leaching

Pre-aeration and slurry preparation

Some plants condition the slurry with air or oxygen before cyanidation. This can help establish the chemical conditions needed for gold dissolution or reduce the effect of oxygen-consuming minerals. Whether pre-aeration is used, and for how long, is established by metallurgical testing rather than by a universal recipe.

How cyanide dissolves gold

Sodium cyanide is added to the conditioned slurry. In the presence of oxygen, cyanide forms a soluble gold-cyanide complex from exposed gold surfaces. Agitation, cyanide concentration, pH, oxygen availability, temperature, particle size and residence time all affect the dissolution rate. Reagent conditions are selected for the particular ore because sulphides, copper minerals, organic carbon and other constituents can consume cyanide or interfere with recovery.

Rank #3
Sale
BladeHawks RGB Gaming Mouse Pad Extra Large Extended 31.5x12 Inch-Black | LED mouse pad with 14 lighting modes, covers keyboard & mouse, anti-slip rubber base, waterproof surface, USB powered
  • 【Large size】:Measuring 800 x 300 mm/ 31. 5×12 inches, which is wider and taller than others. Large mouse pad can perfectly fit your keyboard and mouse of any size, and there is also ample space for peripherals such as phones, tablets, etc.
  • 【LED backlight mouse pad】:Blade Hawks RGB mouse pad provides 7 static modes and 7 dynamic modes will give you the options you are looking for. Power-off memory function remembers the last lighting mode you selected. The super glow fiber Chroma will give you a colorful gaming setup that you want.
  • 【Anti-slip rubber base】:Made from Natural rubber, this gaming mousepad will firmly grip your desktop, allowing you to enjoy the ultimate precision in the games you are most passionate about. It also comes with a texture that enhances this ability even further.
  • 【Smooth and waterproof surface】: Micro-textured cloth surface, for extremely precise mouse control and a smooth movement. When liquid splashes on the gaming mouse pad, it forms water droplets and slides down. Will not delay your work or gameplay.
  • 【Plug and play】: This mouse and keyboard pad is powered by USB, plug and play, no driver required. One button control light modes. Press one time to change the lighting mode, press twice to change the brightness, press and hold about 3 seconds turn ON/OFF.

Cyanidation is an industrial process requiring engineered tanks, monitoring, secondary containment, worker protection and controlled waste treatment. It is not a safe household or small-scale experiment. A design number illustrates the project-specific nature of the process: the Tocantinzinho Feasibility Study (2022) specifies 36 hours of CIL residence time. That figure should not be treated as a requirement for every ore or plant.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

6. Activated carbon captures dissolved gold: CIP versus CIL

After or during leaching, activated carbon contacts the slurry and adsorbs dissolved gold complexes. Screens keep carbon in the tanks while slurry moves onward. The two common arrangements differ in where adsorption occurs.

Arrangement Where adsorption occurs What the name means operationally
Carbon-in-pulp (CIP) In dedicated adsorption tanks after a separate leach section Leaching and carbon adsorption are distinct stages in sequence
Carbon-in-leach (CIL) In the leach train itself Leaching and adsorption occur together in the same series of tanks

Neither label guarantees a particular recovery or residence time. The choice depends on leach kinetics, soluble losses, slurry characteristics, carbon inventory, tank volume and the project’s capital and operating constraints. Technical reports for different projects document both configurations.

7. Washing, elution and carbon regeneration

Screening and acid washing

Loaded carbon is screened from the slurry and transferred to the carbon-treatment area. Acid washing removes scale and other foulants that block adsorption sites. The wash solution is handled as a controlled process stream.

Elution (stripping)

In the elution circuit, a hot, chemically controlled solution strips the adsorbed gold from the carbon. The result is a gold-rich pregnant eluate. The stripped carbon is retained for reuse rather than discarded.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Rank #4
Sale
Vaydeer Wrist Rest for Keyboard and Mouse, Computer Ergonomic Wrist Support Pad, Soft Memory Foam Arm Cushion for Desk, Palm Hand Office Laptop Typing
  • 【Softer and More Comfortable】Vaydeer wrist rest has unique diamond pattern, which is the combination of softness and aesthetics. The materials of wrist rest are improved into higher quality memory foam and covered with silky smooth lycra. The computer wrist rest makes you as comfortable and cushiony as like rest your wrists on clouds.
  • 【Ergonomic Wrist Saver】The wrist rests for keyboard and mouse comes with a 17.32×3.15×0.83 inch keyboard wrist pad and a 5.94×3.15×0.83 inch mouse wrist support. Based on ergonomic design, the unique concave shape is the perfect fit for your wrist joints. The wrist rest pad fits most computer keyboards and laptops, improve hand and wrist posture, release your wrist and arm stress.
  • 【Non-Slip Rubber Bottom】Featuring an anti-skid silicone base on the bottom, this wrist keyboard support stays firmly in place on your desk, preventing the padding from sliding around, ensuring stable and consistent wrist support during extended computer sessions.
  • 【Better Experience & Pain Relief】Our keyboard arm rest is beneficial to alleviate the soreness caused by direct contact and friction between your arm and a hard desk surface, reducing the risk of wrist fatigue or carpal tunnel. The soft texture of memory foam can evenly distribute the pressure around your wrists and provide good support with just enough give.
  • 【Helpful in Multiple Scenarios】Whether you're working, studying, writing, typing, gaming, this keyboard and mouse rest combo is an essential accessory to add comfort and support to your hands and wrists. It’s also a great gift for men, women, family, friend, coworker, gamer, teacher, etc.

Thermal regeneration

Heating restores carbon capacity by removing organic contaminants and residual compounds that reduce adsorption performance. Regenerated carbon returns to the adsorption circuit. Screening, washing, elution and regeneration form a recirculating loop; poor carbon management can lower recovery even when leaching itself is performing well.

8. Electrowinning produces cathode sludge

Pregnant eluate flows through electrowinning cells. An electrical current plates gold onto cathodes. The deposit is not pure gold: it is a sludge containing gold, silver and other metals carried through the solution. Gravity concentrates, when treated separately, can also feed an intensive-cyanidation and electrowinning route.

Electrowinning is therefore a recovery step, not the final refining stage. Cell operation, solution chemistry, current density and sludge handling affect the quality and quantity of the deposit.

9. Filtering, drying and smelting make doré

Sludge preparation

Electrowinning sludge is filtered to remove liquid and then dried. The dry material is blended with selected fluxes. Fluxes help collect metal and separate unwanted components during melting; the exact recipe depends on the sludge chemistry.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Smelting

The fluxed charge is melted in a furnace. Dense molten metal settles as a gold-silver alloy, while slag captures much of the non-metallic fraction. The poured product is doré.

Best Value
Sale
Under Desk Cable Management Tray No Drill, Metal Mesh Cable Management Under Desk with Clamp Mount, 2 Hole Cable Tray with Wire Management and Cord Organizer for Home Office Standing Desk
  • 【No Drill Mounted】Cable management tray can be assembled in as little as 3 minutes or less-simply. Side clips easily clampe the edge of desk, pass through the holes on the sides, and secure excess cables with baskets. Desk cable management supports inward or outward installation to meet your needs in different scenarios, and provides you with great convenience when collecting and organizing wires.
  • 【Rubber Pad Protects Desk】Wire organizer under desk built-in soft rubber pads on the clamp protect your desk from scratches, so you will not damage your furniture or office.
  • 【Sturdy and Beautiful】Cord management under desk is made of high-quality carbon steel and holds about 15 lbs. The wire basket has 2 holes on each side of the tray to enable your cables to pass freely. Cable baskets are suitable for desk thickness use from 0.4" to 2.4".
  • 【Space Saving & Keep Organized】Desk cable management tray holds all your power cords, outlet strips, USB hubs and computer transformers hidden from your feet, and the data cables will not enter the vacuum cleaner to keep your desk clean and tidy. Desk wire organizer is also suitable for use in the kitchen and outdoors.
  • 【Reduce Safety Risks】Cable tray under desk keeps all plugs away from your kids, no more worry about tripping. Using 2 holes wire tray saves extra space, helps you easily cabling and wire protection. The mesh design is not easy to accumulate dust, but avoids safety accidents caused by messy wires.

Doré is an intermediate bar sent to an off-site refinery for further separation and purification. It is not normally 99.99 percent pure bullion. Gold-to-silver ratio, residual base metals and other impurities vary by ore and plant, so a reliable composition requires assay data rather than a generic fineness claim. Aura Minerals’ 2025 Era Dorada Gold Project technical report summarizes this part of the route as: “Gold refining – Gold electrowinning (sludge production), filtration, drying and smelting to produce gold doré.”

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

10. Cyanide destruction, tailings and water recovery

Cyanide detoxification

After soluble gold has been recovered, residual cyanide in process streams is detoxified or destroyed before discharge, recycling or deposition. The treatment selected depends on cyanide species, discharge criteria, water chemistry and the site’s permit.

Tailings handling

Tailings are the finely ground solids and process water left after recovery. A plant may thicken the tailings and pump them to a storage facility, or filter them to produce a drier stackable material. Water is often recovered and returned to the process, reducing fresh-water demand and limiting the volume sent to storage.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Tailings-storage design, seepage control, embankment stability, cyanide monitoring, emergency planning and closure requirements are part of the processing system, not an afterthought. The technically appropriate choice depends on climate, topography, water balance, seismic conditions and regulations.

11. Published design figures and what they do—and do not—tell you

Project or study Published figure Qualification
Tocantinzinho Project technical report (2019) 4.3 million tonnes per year nominal mill capacity Planned plant capacity for that project design
Tocantinzinho Project technical report (2019) 174,000 ounces of planned annual gold production Planned annual output for that project, not a universal mine result
Tocantinzinho Project design 125 micrometres final grinding P80 Specified grind target for that ore and flowsheet
Tocantinzinho Feasibility Study (2022) 36 hours CIL residence time Project design parameter, not a general cyanidation requirement

These figures illustrate scale and design practice, but they cannot be used to infer the recovery, operating cost or doré grade of another mine. No single global recovery percentage, cost benchmark or doré-fineness statistic is established for all mines.

12. Why two gold mines use different flowsheets

Engineers compare routes against the ore and the site’s constraints rather than copying a standard diagram. The decisive questions include:

  • Mineralogy and liberation: Is gold free after grinding, locked in sulphides, or associated with minerals that consume cyanide?
  • Particle size and hardness: How much crushing and grinding energy is needed, and what grind size gives acceptable liberation?
  • Coarse versus sulphide-associated gold: Does gravity recover a meaningful coarse fraction, or is flotation needed to collect sulphide-hosted gold?
  • Whole-ore versus concentrate leach: Is it more effective to cyanide the entire ground stream or a smaller, reground concentrate?
  • CIP versus CIL: Do leach kinetics, adsorption behavior and tank residence requirements favor separate adsorption or simultaneous leach-and-adsorb operation?
  • Water and waste management: Can the site thicken or filter tailings, recover process water and meet cyanide-discharge controls?
  • Capital and operating complexity: Will extra circuits, reagent systems and maintenance deliver enough additional recovery to justify their cost and regulatory burden?

13. Common misconceptions and practical limits

  • “Every mine uses gravity.” Gravity is useful only when the ore contains recoverable coarse free gold.
  • “Every mine floats sulphides.” Flotation is selected when sulphide concentration improves the overall route; many ores are treated by whole-ore leaching.
  • “CIL always takes 36 hours.” The 36-hour value is a Tocantinzinho design parameter, not a universal rule.
  • “Electrowinning makes bullion.” It makes cathode sludge that still contains silver and other metals.
  • “Doré is pure gold.” Doré is a gold-silver intermediate product whose composition must be confirmed by assay and later refining.
  • “A published recovery number applies everywhere.” Recovery changes with mineralogy, liberation, deleterious elements, grind size, reagent control and operating practice.

14. The complete mine-to-doré sequence

  1. Mine and haul ROM ore to the crusher or a stockpile.
  2. Primary-crush the rock and regulate feed through a coarse-ore stockpile and reclaim system.
  3. Grind in SAG and/or ball mills and classify with hydrocyclones.
  4. Recover coarse liberated gold by gravity when testing shows it is worthwhile.
  5. Float sulphide minerals, regrind the concentrate and leach it when the ore requires that route.
  6. Condition the slurry with air or oxygen where the flowsheet calls for pre-aeration.
  7. Leach exposed gold with sodium cyanide under controlled residence time and reagent conditions.
  8. Adsorb dissolved gold on activated carbon in CIP or CIL tanks.
  9. Screen, acid-wash, elute and thermally regenerate loaded carbon.
  10. Electrowin gold from the pregnant eluate to produce cathode sludge.
  11. Filter and dry the sludge, add fluxes, and smelt it into gold-silver doré.
  12. Detoxify residual cyanide and thicken, filter or pump tailings while recovering process water where practical.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.