A ball mill in gold mining is used to grind crushed ore to liberate the gold particles. Let me break down how it works:
- Loading: The mill is filled with the mined ore, typically in the form of crushed rocks, as well as a small amount of water and steel balls.
- Rotation: The cylinder-shaped mill rotates around its axis, usually driven by an electric motor.
- Grinding: As the mill rotates, the motion causes the steel balls inside to lift and cascade back down, crushing the ore into finer particles.
- Liberation: The constant impact from the balls breaks up the ore, and the smaller particles are further ground. This process helps to liberate the gold particles from the surrounding ore.
- Discharge: Once the ores are fine enough, they pass through screens or separators. The finely ground slurry flows out of the mill for further processing.
- Cyanidation: Often the fine particles are then subjected to a cyanidation process where cyanide is added to dissolve the gold so it can be extracted.
The key benefits of using a ball mill in gold mining include achieving a finer grind and improving the efficiency of subsequent gold recovery processes.
