Gold smelting involves the heating of the gold ore or gold scrap to high temperatures around 1000°C to separate the gold from its impurities. The process involves special furnaces where the gold ore is mixed with flux, such as borax or silica to remove the unwanted impurities.
Once melted, the impurities float as slag leaving the gold behind due its high density of 19.3 g/cm3. The gold is tapped out and poured into mould allowed to rest for a while. The process ensures consistent quality and high purity, essential for jewelleries.
The smelting process involves several steps as listed below:
- Crushing and milling: The ore is crushed into smaller pieces to liberate the metal.
- Melting: The crushed gold ore is subjected to temperatures above its melting point. This is to change its physical state and enable better manipulation as well as a more flexible combination with the flux.
- Flux addition: Flux are added to remove impurities in the form of slag.
- Pouring and solidifying: the pure gold is finally tapped out and allowed to cold, hence solidification(Gold Smelting, n.d.).
Were you part of a gold smelting project? Describe your experience in comment.
References:
Gold Smelting: What it is and How it Works? | Bajaj Finance. (n.d.). http://Www.Bajajfinserv.In. Retrieved May 4, 2025, from https://www.bajajfinserv.in/gold-smelting
