Refractory gold ores remain a major pain point for the global mining and metallurgy sector.
Within these complex ores, fine-grained gold and silver are tightly encapsulated in sulfide minerals.
Additionally, naturally occurring preg-robbing organic carbon further hinders effective precious metal extraction.
Unfortunately, conventional cyanidation processes deliver extremely low recovery rates for these challenging feedstocks.
Alongside poor yields, this method also incurs high operating costs and results in significant resource waste.
Worse still, it poses notable environmental risks throughout the production cycle.
To address these long-standing industry hurdles, Zhengzhou Jinquan Mining Equipment has developed a proprietary, breakthrough processing solution.
This innovative, field-validated technology directly resolves the core limitations of traditional refractory ore processing.
Specifically, it delivers high-efficiency, low-cost, and eco-friendly precious metal recovery for complex ore bodies.
Beyond maximizing gold and silver yields from refractory gold ores, it also enables comprehensive utilization of valuable associated elements in the feedstock.
Core Technology of Our Refractory Gold Processing Solution
At the heart of our solution is an end-to-end recovery system built around two synergistic core stages.
Each stage is purpose-engineered to overcome the inherent technical limits of refractory gold ore processing.
1. Pressure Oxidation Pre-Treatment: Mineral Liberation, Carbon Control & Sulfur Recovery
The first stage leverages advanced autoclave pressure oxidation (POX) pre-treatment, a process that targets and resolves the root causes of low precious metal recovery in refractory ores.
Through this targeted pre-treatment, we deliver three critical functional benefits:
- It thoroughly breaks down the sulfide mineral inclusions that encapsulate fine-grained gold and silver.
With this step, we achieve full liberation of precious metals from their host minerals.
In turn, this creates optimal conditions for consistent, high-yield leaching and extraction in downstream processes.
- It also effectively oxidizes the preg-robbing organic carbon present in the ore matrix.
As a result, we completely eliminate the carbon’s harmful adsorptive impact on gold and silver recovery.
- Finally, it enables synchronous, efficient sulfur recovery from the ore feed.
This capability supports full recycling of commercially valuable byproducts.
Ultimately, it significantly boosts the overall economic value of your mining project.
2. High-Efficiency Leaching for Gold & Silver Extraction
Once the pressure oxidation pre-treatment is complete, the processed material advances to the second core stage of our system.
This stage is dedicated to targeted, high-efficiency precious metal leaching and final recovery.
Unlike rigid one-size-fits-all processing methods, our system is highly adaptable to your unique project needs.
It fully supports the industry-proven cyanidation leaching process, a global standard for precious metal extraction.
Meanwhile, it is also fully compatible with eco-friendly cyanide-free leaching technologies for operations with stricter environmental requirements.
For every client project, we design and customize the optimal leaching scheme based on your specific needs.
Each tailored plan is engineered to match your ore’s unique characteristics and operational priorities.
With this customized approach, we efficiently extract gold and silver from the pre-oxidation residues.
Consequently, we ensure maximum, consistent recovery of your valuable precious metals.
Key Advantages of Our Innovative Recovery Process
When compared to conventional and mainstream refractory ore processing methods, our proprietary technology delivers unmatched operational performance and economic benefits.
Below are its core, field-proven advantages:
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Industry-Leading Precious Metal Recovery
With our integrated process, operators can achieve gold and silver recovery rates of over 90%.
This represents a remarkable 40 percentage point improvement compared to traditional conventional cyanidation.
Even for highly refractory ore feedstocks, the technology delivers stable, industry-leading recovery performance.
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Efficient Byproduct & Multi-Element Utilization
Alongside precious metal recovery, our system delivers a sulfur recovery rate of more than 50%.
This enables comprehensive recovery of multiple valuable elements from the ore.
In turn, it transforms what would otherwise be waste resources into additional, reliable economic returns.
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Significant Cost Optimization
The streamlined process delivers an operating cost of approximately 400 RMB per ton of ore.
At prevailing global exchange rates, this equals roughly 55 USD per ton of processed ore.
In direct contrast to mainstream alternatives, it significantly undercuts the costs of bio-oxidation, two-stage roasting, and conventional pressure oxidation processes.
With our solution, mine operators can reduce both upfront capital investment and long-term ongoing operating expenses.
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Superior Environmental Performance
Beyond economic benefits, our process minimizes environmental pollution and reduces the overall operational footprint of mining activities.
It also fully complies with the increasingly stringent global environmental regulations governing the mining and metallurgy sector.
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Outstanding Economic & Social Benefits
On a holistic level, our technology simultaneously boosts metal recovery rates and reduces core production costs.
It also enables multi-element comprehensive recycling and lowers the environmental impact of mining operations.
For mine operators, this translates to exceptional, sustainable economic returns over the project lifecycle.
More broadly, it supports the long-term, high-quality sustainable development of the global mining industry.
About Zhengzhou Jinquan Mining Equipment Co., Ltd.
Zhengzhou Jinquan Mining Equipment Co., Ltd. is a professional, trusted provider of innovative technologies and high-performance equipment for the global mining and metallurgy industry.
Our proprietary gold and silver recovery technology for refractory gold ores has been rigorously tested and validated in real-world operations.
Across diverse project conditions, it delivers stable, high-efficiency performance that consistently meets and exceeds client expectations.
For global mine operators, we provide reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable end-to-end solutions for developing challenging refractory gold resources.
We warmly welcome clients from around the world to reach out to us for professional technical consultation.
In addition, our expert engineering team can design and deliver fully customized project solutions tailored to your unique operational needs.