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Statistical approach for the recovery of silver from manganiferous silver ores

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Abstract

It is well known that manganiferous silver ores containing manganese intimately associated with silver are not amenable to conventional extraction methods. The segregation process has been applied primarily to the recovery of copper from oxidized and oxide-sulfide ores. A new alternative process, consisting of segregation roasting followed by flotation to recover the silver from refractory manganiferous silver ores, was studied using a 23-factorial experimental design. Laboratory investigations were conducted on a manganiferous silver ore analyzing 0.02% copper, 0.09% lead, 0.33% zinc, 12.55% manganese and 187 g/t silver. The investigation was designed to study the effects of the addition of salts, coke and copper (II) oxide on silver recovery. The results indicated that 79.3% of the silver can be recovered in the absence of copper oxide and 88.4% of the silver can be recovered with a copper oxide content of 1.5% at 750° C, 2% salt (NaCl), 1% coke and 30 min of roasting. It was concluded that the addition of copper oxide improves silver recovery.

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SME Preprint 94-65, SME Annual Meeting, Feb. 14–17, 1994, Albuquerque, NM.

M&MP paper 94–620. Discussion of this peer-reviewed and approved paper is invited and must be submitted, in duplicate, prior to May 31, 1995.

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Flores, C., Jordan, T.S. & Twidwell, L.G. Statistical approach for the recovery of silver from manganiferous silver ores. Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration 12, 4–7 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03403071

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