Abstract:
A method of recovering gold from an ore containing micron gold or gold dust is disclosed. The gold is recovered by providing a silver coated surface, coating the silver coated surface with mercury, washing a mixture of ore and water over the mercury such that an amalgam of gold and mercury is created on the silver coated surface, removing the amalgam from the silver coated surface, and heating the amalgam. The same method may be used to recover platinum from an ore containing micron platinum or platinum dust and also to recover silver from an ore containing micron silver or silver dust.