Separation of Gold
The industrial separation process that I have decided to do is gold separation. Gold separation can be done in a number of ways but there is not always one way to do it, but the combination of a couple of these processes to extract pure gold. Gold is obtained form the lithosphere. It is separated from the ore found in the lithosphere.
Gold's symbol is Au. Its atomic number is 79 and has an atomic mass of 196.96655 amu. Its melting point is 1064.43°C, while its boiling point is 2807.0 °C. It is a transition metal and is yellow or gold in colour.
There are also many principles used in the separation of gold. One of these is boiling points in the process of smelting. In Froth floatation, the principle is the organic chemicals in the gold which causes it to float when disturbed by air in a tank.
When gold is separated, there is also a bi-product or waste. The waste that comes from the mining of the gold is often used as land fill. This is after further minerals are extracted from the gangue. Waste products are also found in the froth flotation process. Here, the wet gangue is taken to a dam, usually lined with cement, called a tailings dam. The water is allowed to evaporate and the solid waste (tailings) is disposed of. It must however be disposed of safely as it may contain small amounts of toxic lead and zinc. Polluted water from the dam must be kept out of local water ways and prevented from entering the food chain. The problem with this is that it is very time consuming and costly.
Liberation:
Usually the first stage in the liberation of ore minerals from gangue (waste) minerals is crushing. Ore broken by explo¬sives in an open cut mine is usually carried to the primary crusher in large rear-end dump trucks and tipped into a "jaw or cone crusher".
In an underground mine, primary crushing often takes place in a crusher located near the bottom of the main shaft. Ore is tipped down "ore-passes" and is fed to the crusher before being hoisted to the
Gold's symbol is Au. Its atomic number is 79 and has an atomic mass of 196.96655 amu. Its melting point is 1064.43°C, while its boiling point is 2807.0 °C. It is a transition metal and is yellow or gold in colour.
There are also many principles used in the separation of gold. One of these is boiling points in the process of smelting. In Froth floatation, the principle is the organic chemicals in the gold which causes it to float when disturbed by air in a tank.
When gold is separated, there is also a bi-product or waste. The waste that comes from the mining of the gold is often used as land fill. This is after further minerals are extracted from the gangue. Waste products are also found in the froth flotation process. Here, the wet gangue is taken to a dam, usually lined with cement, called a tailings dam. The water is allowed to evaporate and the solid waste (tailings) is disposed of. It must however be disposed of safely as it may contain small amounts of toxic lead and zinc. Polluted water from the dam must be kept out of local water ways and prevented from entering the food chain. The problem with this is that it is very time consuming and costly.
Liberation:
Usually the first stage in the liberation of ore minerals from gangue (waste) minerals is crushing. Ore broken by explo¬sives in an open cut mine is usually carried to the primary crusher in large rear-end dump trucks and tipped into a "jaw or cone crusher".
In an underground mine, primary crushing often takes place in a crusher located near the bottom of the main shaft. Ore is tipped down "ore-passes" and is fed to the crusher before being hoisted to the
Bibliography: USGS; viewed 23rd February, 2007: • Unknown author; 2007; "Separation of the Metal": Info Please; viewed 20th February, 2007: • Bentor, Yinon; 2006; "Periodic Table: Gold":: Chemical Elements.com; viewed 17th February, 2007: . • Unknown author; 2007; "Gold extraction": Wikipedia; viewed 18th February, 2007 • Unknown author; 2007; "Methods of Mining": KGS; viewed 21st February, 2007 • Unknown author; 2007; "froth flotation": Answers.com; viewed 21st February, 2007 Pearson Education Australia, South Melbourne • Lunders, Carolyn; 2000; "Chemistry, 2000 and Beyond, Volume: 1"