Abstract
Technogenic waste from non-ferrous metal mines can be a potential raw material for precious metals. The work carried out research on the material composition of overburden and enclosing rock dumps of such mines - Levikhinsky (Middle Urals). The contents of non-ferrous metals (Cu, Zn), gold and silver were determined on an atomic emission spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma, the mineral composition was determined on an X-ray diffractometer, and ore minerals were examined under a scanning electron microscope. High gold and silver contents were established, comparable to ore content (0.5-3.5 g/t and 2.7-33 g/t, respectively). Gold is mainly found in a microdispersed form, there are single grains up to 4 mm in size. Silver is found in the form of impurities and small precipitates in sulfides. The contents of copper and zinc are quite low (0.01-0.16 wt% and 0.01-0.035 wt%, respectively), which are concentrated in chalcopyrite and sphalerite. With gravity concentration, it was possible to obtain concentrates with a copper content of up to 0.5 wt%, gold up to 46 g/t and silver up to 621 g/t. The data indicate that the use of dumps is promising as a raw material for precious metals and copper.
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