Abstract

An innovative procedure for gold recovery from Calcareous Sandstone Wadi Natash of Southeastern Desert, Egypt

Author(s): M.E.Ibrahim, E.M.El-Sheikh

The calcareous sandstone of Wadi Natash of Southeastern Desert, Egypt has actually been subjected to severalmineralization stages. These included several economicminerals of interestingmetal values e.g. uranium, niobium, tantalum, zinc and copper besides gold. The present work takes advantage of the calcareous component of this ore material to formcalciumsulfate by sulfuric acid treatment for gold recovery.Accordingly, while gold assay is as low as 1.7 ppm, it has been possible to be completely recovered by its surface adsorption upon calcium sulfate crystals that are in-situ formed at heat transfer surface at the top of the working slurry. It has thus been possible to recover gold fromthe workingmaterial to assay up to 0. 85%in the latter in a manner that a concentration factor of up to 5000 has been realized