Abstract

This study evaluates the performance of a shaking table operated by the Bureau of Mines and Geology of Burkina Faso (BUMIGEB) for the preconcentration of gold ore from Poura. Two size fractions, 250 µm and 120 µm, each weighing 2,000 g, were prepared by crushing, grinding, screening, and slurrying, and were then processed separately. The concentrates, middlings, and tailings were dried, weighed, pulverized, digested using a multi-acid procedure, and analysed for gold. The 120 µm fraction yielded the highest-grade concentrate (136.16 ppm Au), compared with 102.47 ppm Au for the 250 µm fraction, from a feed grade of 26.56 ppm Au. The corresponding enrichment ratios were 5.13 and 3.86. However, mass closures were only 56.02% for the 120 µm fraction and 70.06% for the 250 µm fraction. Relative to the gold contained in the initial feed, the apparent concentrate recovery reached 31.39% at 120 µm and 68.26% at 250 µm. By contrast, the concentrates contained 73.05% and 87.91%, respectively, of the gold actually accounted for in the collected products. These results demonstrate genuine upgrading, but the mass losses, particularly at 120 µm, preclude any conclusion of high overall metallurgical recovery. Under the tested conditions, the 250 µm fraction provided the best compromise among grade, apparent recovery, and mass-balance quality. Rigorous control of wash-water flow rate, deck slope, stroke parameters, and fine-particle collection is essential before the process can be extrapolated to industrial scale.

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