Innovative Flotation Reagents: Locked Cycle Flotation Testing by Florrea Specialty Reagents for the Challenging Gold Ores in Sarawak

Refractory gold ores, particularly those containing sulfide, pose significant challenges. Flotation is a promising alternative to enhance the recovery of gold from these types of ore. This study investigates gold ore samples from Sarawak, Malaysia. The primary objectives were to assess the concentrate recovery and grade, and identify the effect of the recycle stream through a locked-cycle flotation test. It optimized the flotation process to enhance gold grade and recovery. The flotation process was carried out using mechanical flotation cells, along with generic and Florrea reagents, which included depressants (CMC, Florrea D140- 7), activators (CuSO4, Florrea 621), collectors (PAX, Florrea X2), and frothers (MIBC, Florrea 530X). The flotation products were analyzed for Au, SxS, Fe, and Sb content using fire assay and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) methods. Results from the Locked Cycle Test indicated that utilizing the Florrea Baseline yielded the best Au/S recovery, with +28.50% for Au and +18.66% for S, resulting in concentrate grades of 56.65 ppm Au and 37.35% S.