Consolidation mechanism of gold concentrates containing sulfur and carbon during oxygen-enriched air roasting

Consolidation in calcines is a common problem in the oxygen-enriched air roasting of refractory gold concentrates containing sulfur and carbon when the initial temperature is greater than 600℃. To determine the phases that caused consolidation, gold concentrates were roasted under different conditions and the calcines were mainly detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The possible underlying mechanism was then studied through comparisons of the XRD patterns of different calcines. The results indicated that the generation of calcium magnesium silicate, iron-doped calcium aluminosilicate, and calcium aluminate caused the consolidation. Furthermore, an enriched oxygen atmosphere accelerated the oxidation reaction and the emitted heat increased the local temperature in calcines. The local temperature was inferred to have increased to the generation temperature zone of the corresponding liquid phases. Oxidation of the pyrite and decomposition of the dolomite and muscovite mainly occurred at the initial stage of oxygen-enriched air roasting. Calcium was confirmed to be essential to the consolidation process.