PROGRESS IN SILVER PROCESS MINERALOGY

s was an unprecedented prosperous age for the silver process mineralogy. Through the study on the occurrence state of silver, it was confirmed that there existed three types of silver minerals-the independent silver mineral, the crystal lattice silver and the mechanical intermixture. Most researches proved that silver mainly occurred in the carrier minerals as an independent mineral. It was found out through the study on the process properties of silver that the key mineralogical factors .affecting the recovery of mineral processing were the variety and grain size of silver minerals and the distribution of silver in the main minerals, which directly instructed the improvement of mineral processing technology. In 1990's, the research scope of silver process mineralogy has been expanded from the study on the associated silver minerals to the single silver ores and study on the silver oxid ores, silver-bearing tungsten ores and their metallurgical products has been strengthened at the same time.