Problem with a static catch sheet be it 4x8 or across the stream river or in a pond is it will hit FULL LOAD at some point and from then on the amount of time in contact with the solution will have no affect.
oleophilic adhesion relies on gold being oleophilic adhesion relies on the fact that gold, diamonds or whatever is oleophilic and hydrophobic will stick and the other things like silica sand magnetite and other materials are "oleophobic" and hydrophilic and will not stick.
Guess what things tend to be oleophilic other than gold and diamonds......DIRT.....mud.... sediment.. All of these things are much larger particle wise when in suspension vs. gold. And that is what will lead to loading.... No gold will stick when the sheet is covered with sediment as the oleophilic properties no longer win out.
This method which has proven to be less effective than froth floatation used to be called "contact method of ore concentration" In the page I attached you can read some of this same info. And you cans search and see there have been a few studies and patents. Yet in an industry that bases digging on a very fine margin and improves recovery in hopes of opening that margin up a bit....oleophilic adhesion is not in common use. diamonds are another story. Interesting in the mentioned method a wetting agent is used. So,as my buddy Aufisher mentioned and he does know what he's talking about and has the papers to back it.... "flocculants are no joke"
This is an interesting thread. It is unfortunate that some guys are gonna be at home imagining buckets sitting in water, gaining value! Wondering how the heck to keep a burlap sheet suspended in a river.....and what is the best way to scrub rust off of a rust bucket. When they could be out actually finding some color.
The Army Core of Engineers has access to thousands of miles of waterway...We have great engineers...if this was so simple it would be industry standard. ESPECIALLY if it was viable in the "non-gold bearing" areas mentioned. Or maybe they are doing it in secret so when they open Fort Knox they have proof it isn't empty?
Patent US4511461 - Process for recovering minerals and metals by oleophilic adhesion - Google Patents http://www.mine.mn/Robin_Grayson_gold_recovery_method33.pdf