A lead-zinc deposit is rich in valuable metals of gold and silver. In order to improve the economic benefits of products, the associated gold and silver should be enriched in lead concentrate to the maximum extent. Based on the actual situation in the production, the distribution of associated gold and silver in the products after mineral processing was ascertained, and then optimization tests were perform. The results showed that most of the associated gold and silver were concentrated in the lead concentrate, and the recovery of gold and silver was positively correlated with the recovery of lead. Without altering the original reagent regime for lead flotation, ethyl xanthate was introduced as an auxiliary collector in a close-circuit test adopting a flowsheet consisting of one stage of roughing, two stages of cleaning and two stages of scavenging. And the obtained lead concentrate with grade around 50% can have a high enrichment of gold and silver and a low content of zinc. It is concluded that gold and silver resources can be comprehensively recovered, which can bring in the maximized economic benefit.

lead-zinc ore  /  associated gold and silver  /  enrichment  /  collector  /  gold  /  silver