Estudo comparativo entre métodos de amostragem em rejeito de minério de ouro

Abstract

Mineral characterization is one of the most important tools in the use of a mineral resource in a structured and optimized way, being recommended in all phases of a mining project. At the mining company, which is the target of this study, the tailings sampling is treated in a crucial way, because from it, the gold contents, contained in the tailings, are obtained, which are used in the company's mass balance, in addition to serving as a basis for critical analyses, which enable the identification of possible flaws in the beneficiation process. Four sampling techniques were used: conical pile, long pile, successive division by jones splitter and manual method. The samples underwent granulochemical and chemical analysis by the Fire Assay method, with the intention of knowing the gold content present in each sample and granulometric range. This work contributes to a better knowledge of the tailings and aims to determine the best method for preparing the samples. As a result, the successive division splitting technique using the jones splitter was the most suitable, as it is ideal for small sample quantities, practical and reliable.