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Technical Evaluation of Gravity Separation Efficiency in Gold Ore Treatment: Evidence from the Boena Artisanal Mining Site, Burkina Faso

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Author Affiliations

  • 1University Yembila Abdoulaye Toguyeni, P.O 54 Fada N' Gourma, Burkina Faso
  • 2Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Engineering Science Research, Polytechnic School of Ouagadougou (EPO), 18 PO 234 Ouaga 18, Burkina Faso
  • 3University Yembila Abdoulaye Toguyeni, P.O 54 Fada N' Gourma, Burkina Faso

Int. Res. J. Environment Sci., Volume 15, Issue (4), Pages 13-17, October,22 (2026)

Abstract

This article focuses on the evaluation of the efficiency of gravimetric processing of gold ore in an artisanal mining of Boena, carried out at the laboratory of Université Yembila Abdoulaye TOGUYENI (UYAT) in Fada N'Gourma, Burkina Faso. The treatment was performed using the sluice box gravimetric separation method, starting from a 3.3 kg residue from a first sluice processing run, with 15 litres of water. The equipment used includes a hammer, a sieve, a sluice box fitted with mats, gloves and a gold pan. At the end of the treatment, no native gold was found in the recovered concentrate, only iron oxide as hematite (Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4). This outcome is explained by the nature of the sample: as a post-gravimetric residue, it had already been depleted of free gold during the initial treatment. The sluice nonetheless correctly performed its heavy mineral concentration function, confirming the reliability of the process. This study highlights the limitations of double-pass sluicing on residue material and underscores the importance of prior ore characterization before processing.

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