Show THE GODBE LEACHING PROCESS ernest L godbe metallurgist who is experimenting peri with the godbe patent process of leaching at the april fool mill at de la mar nev has an article descriptive of the process in the de lamar lode as follows it is a well known fact that the finer an ore is pulverised pulverized sed the higher is the extraction by the cyanide section but it is al also so well known that very fine or talus ore cant be successfully cess fully leached beached by the ordinary me method thod of percolation owing to the material becoming so packed down that it will not permit the solution to pass through it for along a long time metallurgists have decol recognized ionized that a much more thorough and perfect dissolution of the metals is obtained by the stirring or agitation process but the great difficulty has ali ways been to economically and completely extract or separ separate ate the gold bearing solution tion from the fine ore or slime this is just what the godbe process does and does it completely leand and economically it consists of a combination of agitation and upward percolation simultaneously in in the same vat the pulp is stirred with acaya a cyanide solution containing lime in a circular vat the diameter of which is not greater than the depth and while being so stirred a stream of solution is cintr introduced ced in the bottom from below a false filter bottom and rises up through the agitated and suspended ore and overflows at the top perfectly clear and free from slime to do this the miller or stirrer is placed close to the bottom of the vat and does not revolve fast enough to throw the ahe slime up to the surface of the charge but just sufficient to keep the entire mass well up in suspension and flowing around in the tank and at the same time always leaves a few inches of perfectly clear solution at the top the solution in its upward course comes into intimate contact with every particle of slime as the latter is constantly changing its position in the tank and rises above the ma mass ss of slime in into to the clear solution zone at the top from whence it overflows perfectly clear and ready for precipitation during the period of dissolving the gold the speed of the stirrer is increased so that the entire charge is in thorough agitation and at this stage compressed air can be blown in to hasten the dissolution of the gold if the ore requires it after the dissolution has taken place the gold bearing solution is washed out by displacement with weak precipitated solution until all the gold has been washed dout out of the charge and in turn the weak precipitated cyanide solution is displaced with water when a plug is drawn and the entire charge allowed to run out into in to the tailings dam each displacement operation washes out about 80 per cent of the solution contained so that it generally tales takes three displacements two of solution and one of water to recover practically all the gold bearing solution from the charge these displacements however take place very rapidly from 4 to 6 hours only being required for each one the amount of solution to ore varies according to the specific gravity of the slime being from 12 to as high as 3 parts of solution to one of ore when used in connection with plate amalgamation no settling is required as the water is withdrawn by displacement with the cyanide solution one important feature is that by using a large quantity of solution which can be done the upward percolation taking place so rapidly a very much weaker solution can be used and st still ill bring the proper or necessary amount of cyanide of potassium in contact with the dissolved thereby reducing the m metals to be loss of cyanide to a minimum both as to the loss of the latter in attacking basis as well as losses of solution A warm in the or ordinary solution grea greatly aly assists the operation mechanically chan chani cally and chemically |