A Comparison of 2D and 3D Characterisations of Free Gold Particles in Gravity and Flash Flotation Concentrates

摘要

The focus of this study was to characterise and quantify the nature of free gold particles recovered in a plant setting featuring parallel gravity concentration and flash flotation processes, with an emphasis on the influence of size and shape of the particles. This study also investigated the application of automated mineralogical analysis (AMA) for stereological interpretations from existing measurements such as circularity and sphericity by quantifying of free gold shapes using two and three dimensional (2D/3D) methods and identifying the limitations of these applications for the characterisation of malleable and irregular gold particles. Preliminary results indicated 2D circularity characterisations of free gold particles in gravity concentrate in the intermediate size fraction (+212/-38 μm) were, on average, more circular than those of the flash concentrate. However, 3D sphericity characterisations of the same samples offered conflicting results.