EVALUATION OF THE USE OF SLAG FROM THE MINING OF Au AND Ag AS A REPLACEMENT OF THE SAND IN CEMENT MORTARS

Abstract

To the benefit of gold minerals, extraction processes are generally applied by carrying out cyanidation and subsequent smelting to obtain dore thereby generating slags. The properties of the slag obtained vary depending on the origin of the mineral and on the type of load flux used. However, in the Pyrometallurgy literature the reuse of the slag generated at this stage of the process has not been analyzed. Therefore, the present research is focused on studying the characteristics of slags of minerals from San Juan province in Argentina, obtained at a laboratory scale, analyzing the possibility of recycling in case they present appropriate physical and chemical properties. Slag characterization (description) was made by using different techniques such as: chemical analysis with acid digestion and subsequent determination with ICP, structural study by applying optical microscopy techniques in white light mode and polarized light. Observation and semi-quantitative chemical analysis of the samples is completed by using an ESEM scanning electron microscope and analysis with the EDS technique. Finally, analyses about the physical properties obtained are carried out for subsequent use of the slag as cement.