Optimum Conditions for the Enrichment of Yandoton-Daji Gold Ore, Zamfara State, North Western Nigeria.

¹Abubakar , H. U. ²Muriana, R. A. ²Abdulrahman, S. A. and ³Egbe E. A. P

- Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Engineering, Kaduna Polytechnic, PMB 2021, Kaduna, Nigeria
- Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Federal University of Technology, PMB 65, Minna, Nigeria.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Technology, PMB 65, Minna, Nigeria.

Keywords: Enrichment, Gold ore, gravity separation, optimum conditions.

Abstract

This research dealt with the enrichment of Yandoton-Daji gold ore. The ore was collected from Bayan Banki Village in Yandoton-Daji, Zamfara State. The optimum criteria for concentration of Yandoton-Daji gold ore was carried using panning method. Three criteria were varied to determine the optimum conditions: particle size, pulp density and swirling time. At 125μm, the highest grade was obtained after five runs conducted using various particle sizes. The best pulp density for the panning of the gold ore was found be 20% solid by weight and posted a good grade-recovery combination. The swirling time for the panning process of the gold ore was found to be 20 minutes and has the best grade-recovery combination. Keywords: Enrichment, Gold ore, gravity separation, optimum conditions.