Characterization of Goldstrike ore carbonaceous material Part 2: Physical characteristics

Carbonaceous material (CM) from the Barrick Goldstrike Mines, NV, was chara cterized with respect to its gold sorption (preg-robbing) and gold recovery behavior. The breadth of graphite peaks measured by X-ray diffraction were used to calculate crystallite dimensions (002) of the CM The (002) dimensi on was found to vary inversely with preg-robbing activity and directly with gold-recovery behavior, indicating that the degree of graphitization (matu ration) experienced by! the carbonaceous material is cart-elated with gold- loss during ore processing. The inverse correlation of preg-robbing activit y was improved when percent preg-robbing was regressed against (002) crysta llite size and carbon content. The (101) crystallite dimensions of all samp les were calculated from laser Raman analysis, and were not found to correl ate with preg-robbing behavior of the CM. BET surface area and micropore si ze distribution results were affected by grinding history, negating compari son of these characteristics between samples.