GOLD RECOVERY
Gold standards
John Chadwick considers ever important gravity concentration,
more alternatives to cyanide, new ideas for refractory ores…….
A
recent extension will see the AMIRA
P420D Gold Processing Technology
project pass its 25th anniversary, with
the original P173 project having commenced in
1986. The project builds on previous work
undertaken on process modelling for gold
plant optimisation (classification; gravity; flash
flotation; leaching/adsorption), cyanide
management, and the development of the
‘Gold Knowledgebase’. New initiatives include
the development of a technology roadmap for
difficult ores, and a study of the behaviour of
minor metals such as selenium, cadmium,
tellurium, etc. in CIP circuits.
For the first time, the project structure has
allocated a significant proportion of the funds
in the area of technology transfer. This area
will incorporate both transfer of project
outcomes to sponsors and more general
training for sponsors’ technical staff.
The project is structured around four
research themes:
■ Capturing and preserving industry
knowledge
■ Predicting and improving ore processing
■ Protecting the ‘Licence to Operate’
■ Processing difficult ores.
Operating sites nominated for study in the
first year of the project include Cerro
Vanguardia (Argentina), Cadia and St Ives
(Australia) and Phoenix (USA).
Bill Staunton continues as Project Manager,
with the project coming under the auspices of
the Parker Co-operative Research Centre for
Integrated Hydrometallurgy Solutions. Project
headquarters is at Curtin University of
Technology in Australia. CSIRO will also be a
research partner in the project.
Consideration of gravimetric properties – the
oldest force used to recover gold – continues
to be very important in both small and large
(see the Grasberg concentrator article in this
issue and its use of Knelson concentrators)
22 International Mining MAY 2010
operations. Oro Industries claims its Martin
multi-helix spiral “is the most efficient gold
concentrator in the industry - and has the
highest concentration ratio and highest
recovery rate of any gravity concentrator ever
built.” The Helix Spiral is a commercial duty,
continuous feed, gravity concentrator for both
alluvial and fine-milled hard rock ores. It can be
used as a standalone unit or in series.
Oro Industries reports it “allows for full
adjustment to the ore-matrix or concentrate,
yielding a peak concentration ratio with
virtually no loss of gold. 99% recovery of all
fine gold down to 100 mesh (149 µm) and
less. Resulting in a finish grade or smelting
grade concentrate.”
The company also says it is more practical
than a finish table due to its simple operation,
continuous feed and higher volume. Its power
needs are low – 0.37 kW – an electric motor
with a fixed rotation gear box.
The Helix Spiral is ideal for processing
primary sluice concentrate, primary jig
concentrate and centrifuge concentrate. It can
be adapted to applications for primary or
secondary recovery. Fully adjustable, it can
make ‘loose’ and/or ‘tight’ cuts, and adjusts to
a wide range of ores and concentrates. It can
be used to reconcentrate heavy gold
concentrate to achieve a smelting grade
product. It is also “great for bulk sampling and
testing head ores.”
Oro Industries also offers the Low-G
Horizontal Centrifuge, a “highly efficient batch
concentrator designed for primary recovery of
gold concentrate at volumes of 6-40 t/h.
Although the Helix Spiral (rougher) is more
versatile and works with a wider range of ore
types, particularly heavy mineral and sulphide
ores, the Centrifuge is more economical for
higher volumes of typical ores, either alluvial or
milled hard-rock ores. A single 30" (762 mm)
Centrifuge has the production rate of four 24"
(610 mm) spiral roughers, at about half the
cost. The Low-G Horizontal Centrifuge is
known for its high volume - zero loss, fine gold
recovery, and is adaptable to most any mine
operation. It also acts as a scrubber trommel
efficiently handling clay residue from a wash
plant or screen deck.”
It operates with clean or turbid water, which
makes it ideal for recycle/recirculation
applications. It is a continuous feed (water and
ore) concentrator and ‘batches’ the
concentrate during the run process. In
operation at a specific G-Force, the internal
chambers fill with lighter material, which form
soft fluidised ‘beds’. Gold is forced to the walls
of the chambers where it is trapped. The
correct amount of G-force is critical and is why
the design is adjustable within the Low-G
range.
As the slurry continuously enters the
centrifuge, the heavier concentrate displaces
the lighter material and starts collecting in the
first chamber. When the first chamber is full,
new material (heavy concentrate) fills the
second chamber, and so on until the centrifuge
is full. At which point, the unit is cleaned out
by simply decreasing the speed, flushing the
concentrate into a receiver. In most cases with
typical alluvial and hard rock ores, a properly
sized centrifuge will give a full days production
before it requires flushing.
Jeff Lantz, Co-owner of Oro Industries says:
“In a production environment, recovery rates
for gold particles down to 200-300 mesh (74
to 48 µm), begin to decline with any gravity
separation method.
“We claim 99% recovery of free gold down
to 100 mesh and 80% to 90% recovery down
to 200 mesh. Recovery rates of free-gold
particles at 300 mesh minus start getting out
of reach of physical concentration and require
chemical separation. 300 mesh gold is almost
colloidal and tends to stay in suspension in the

turbid water. Even in clear water, this ultra fine
gold stays in suspension almost indefinitely in a
production environment. Claims of high
recovery rates of 300 mesh gold in a
production environment using physical (gravity)
means are simply not true.”
Water consumption for the centrifuge is
calculated using an average slurry rate of 5 to
1 (water/material). However, depending on clay
content, the ratio could be higher. Logically, a
higher clay content requires more water to
wash and classify the material. The centrifuge
requires only enough water to keep the beds
soft and move the ore through the machine.
Lantz also notes: “Our concentration
method is in two phases...primary and
secondary. Our concentrators have such a high
reduction rate (concentration ratio) that you
can concentrate more ore in the course of the
production day. The Reverse Helix Spiral will
give a high grade, finished gold product, ready
for smelting. No other recovery equipment is
necessary. The Helix Spiral can also double as a
bulk sample concentrator.”
By December of 2008, thanks to good
planning and ingenious thinking, Gold-Ore
Resources was producing gold at nearly
40,000 oz/y from its Bjorkdal mine. In February
last year, Gold-Ore announced an underground
mine expansion plan intended to raise gold
output levels by 20% by providing access to
two new levels of underground ore. This
expansion has allowed the mine to produce
mill feed at a rate of 1,400 t/d. Additionally, in
March 2009 Bjorkdal installed a second
Knelson Concentrator to further enhance gold
recovery. The Knelson unit, a fully automated
KC-XD30; was installed in conjunction with the
existing gravity circuit consisting of Richert
cones, spirals and shaking tables and a
Knelson KC-CD12 treating spiral concentrates.
There is a downstream flotation circuit and site
GOLD RECOVERY
At the end of March Centamin reached and
surpassed 1 t of gold poured at its Sukari gold mine
in Egypt. This followed the one millionth t of ore
processed earlier in the month through the Sukari CIL
circuit. The Sukari process plant continues to perform
above its nameplate capacity of 4 Mt/y and remains
on track to produce 200,000 oz in 2010.
Construction and cold commissioning of the Stage 2
sulphide circuit has been completed with no major
issues encountered. Wet commissioning and
processing of sulphide ore was to occur in April
personnel understand the economic benefit of
optimising recovery of free-gold prior to flotation.
In September of 2009 Mike McLeavy; KGS
Manager of Process Technology visited the
Bjorkdal site to assist with process optimisation
of the Knelson unit. “The installation quality
here is excellent. The XD30 has been recessed
into a platform so there is access to the top of
the machine at waist height. All pipes are well
supported with good slopes. There is a slurry
splitter installed on the concentrate line that
takes a sample of each concentrate flush.
There is access to get good feed and tailings
samples.” McLeavy said on his return to
Knelson headquarters. “When I arrived, the
unit had been fully commissioned and
operating for almost three months and the
results being achieved were very good.”
“We are very satisfied with the reliable
operation of the KC-XD30, as well as for the
KC-CD12 that we have had in production for
three years now.” stated Thomas Trautmann;
Bjorkdal Plant Metallurgist.
Scrubbing up clean
Ish Grewal, President of Met-Solve
Laboratories, explains that “gold recovery from
Oro Industries' tailings scavenging plant at Yuba
Goldfields, one of the largest gold dredging
operations in the Northern Hemisphere
MAY 2010 International Mining 23
 GOLD RECOVERY

alluvial deposits is technically simpler than recovering gold from hard

rock deposits. However, the presence of clay can make gold recovery
difficult as gold particles of granules can be encased in the clay
agglomerates.”
But, scrubbers can be used as intensive washers to liberate valuable
particles or granules. They are effective for:
■ Processing wet tropical laterites prior to the recovery of nickel, cobalt
etc. by leaching
■ Washing of laterites to liberate fine precious metals for gravity
recovery
■ Removal of clay from hard rock ores prior to crushing
■ Washing of crushed aggregate, gravel and sand to remove clay
contamination
■ Removal of gold ‘robbing’ natural surface active graphite and other
contaminates from gold ores
■ Processing bauxite ores for aluminum production.
Experience has shown proper test work is critical to the final sizing of
rotary scrubbers. Met-Solve has a pilot-scale rotary scrubber unit which is
optimised for accurate small scale testing.
The purpose of a scrubber system is to economically break up
agglomerates or lumps in clay or mud like deposits to liberate the target
mineral. Tests are run with pulp densities of 45-60% to allow accurate
calculation of water needs in plant operation. Intermediate results are
estimated via examining the slurry after operating at various time
intervals, but final completion is accurately assessed by screening, sorting
and classifying the material. At the end of each test the scrubber
discharge is screened with the screen oversize inspected for any
remaining agglomerates.
The unit is equipped with a variable speed drive allowing tests to
be performed at speeds ranging from 50-75% critical speed. Speed
is often critical as too low a speed can actually promote
agglomeration and too high a speed may degrade more friable feed
materials.

Plant redesigns
Recent work in the CIS by Engineering Dobersek has included
reconstructing three production lines in the ZIF Kurranach gold plant at
Nizhny Kuranach in Yakutia, Russia. This is an Aldanzoloto plant, part of
Polyus Zoloto (Polyus Gold), Russia’s main gold producer. The intent is to
increase capacity and raise productivity. Ore treatment shall be increased
from 3.6 to 4.5 Mt/y. Better use of energy by upgrading the existing
production lines is also important for the customer.
The re-engineering of the plants entails the core areas of crushing,
grinding, classifying, thickening and extracting the thickened
concentrate, and tailings management. Engineering Dobersek is
responsible for planning and delivery of equipment to increase capacity
as well as for managing installation and commissioning of the plant.
Supply incorporates parts for grinding, classifying and thickening as well
as complete new components for large plants. For example a crushing
plant and chemical dosing stations, automatic systems for the several
process flows and data transfer to the existing process control system.
Using Engineering Dobersek’s Conticlass® system separation plant, ore
can be classified into particles smaller than 0.15 mm with a separation
cut of 95%. It is supplying its modified GrindExpert® systems to optimise
the grinding cycle and the classifying process. GrindExpert raises
throughput in several production lines and ensures optimal pulping of
the gold ore. The intent is that increased automation will optimise the
costs efficiency of the whole plant.
In Uzbekistan, Engineering Dobersek has raised gold recovery by
expanding a gold treatment plant for the mining combine Uzbek Mining

24 International Mining MAY 2010

 Meet us at BAUMA 2010 hall C2 booth 320
GOLD
DIESEL RECOVERY
FUEL

A Bateman 30 t/h modular gold processing plant for Central Rand Gold, South
Africa. Such plants are custom-designed for specific applications and then
fabricated, trial erected and water commissioned at a cost-effective location. They
are then partially dismantled and shipped as container-sized sections for re-
assembly and final commissioning on site. Additional modularised components can
be incorporated later to increase plant throughput or accommodate changes in
grades. These plants are ideal for fast-track operations, sites where construction is
difficult and remote locations with adverse climatic or geographic conditions. They
also allow for rapid and low cost relocation after an economic reserve has been
depleted

Kombinat Navoj (NGMK). The contract includes completing the supply

of classifying with a Conticlass system hydrocyclone plant; flotation;
thickening, backcurrent washing and neutralisation; generation of
process air by using a turboblower for the BIOX® process; plants for
Comminuting
preparation and dosing of chemicals for flotation; plants for preparation
and dosing of flocculation aids; cooling tower systems for the cooling your maintenance
water to cool process air and the reactor; pump station for the feed
input; pump plant and complete automation and installation of the
plant’s process control system. It is the sulphide ores commonly present
expenditure
in the Kokpatas and Daugystau deposits that require the use of this
process.

Beating refractory problems

Bateman Engineering notes that effective pre-concentration significantly
reduces the size of a gold recovery plant. The company has a strong Köppern roller presses have been proven successful all
track record in plants to recover free gold in crushed ore or to pre- over the world in plants for the energy-saving high
concentrate the ore by removal of gangue. Technologies employed pressure comminution of various ores and minerals as
includes conventional mechanical and column flotation cells; dense-
well as cement clinker, limestone and blast furnace slag.
media separation, particularly for retreating waste rock; and gravity
For the comminution of abrasive materials a Köppern-
concentration techniques including tables, jigs, centrifugal concentrators,
sluices, etc. patented wear protection of rollers is available.
Refractory gold ore is pre-treated by various methods such as bacterial Köppern – Quality made in Germany.
oxidation technology, e.g. from MINTEK and BacTech, as well as the BIOX
process, pressure oxidation and traditional roasting technology where
• State of the art technology
acid recovery results in a saleable product. Arsenic-stabilising
• Process technology know-how
technologies to minimise environmental pollution are also available.
Bateman has also worked with emerging technologies such as • High plant availability
thiosulphate leaching, Augment, the Albion process, resin-in-pulp and • Quick roller replacement
Activox. Bateman Engineering has joint venture technology available for
bacterial leaching and has access to other proprietary technology for
treating refractory ores and concentrates.
Maelgwyn Minerals Services (MMS) says that while there have
been many novel processes developed over the years to treat refractory
www.koeppern.de
ores “they all have the inherent disadvantage of either high capital or
operating cost or worse still a combination of the two!” MMS reports

MAY 2010 International Mining 25

 GOLD RECOVERY

its Leachox™ process “is receiving increasing

attention due to its significantly lower capital
and operating cost. The HPGR benefits for gold
“The Leachox process essentially involves

A
recovery of sulphides containing gold to a high s we have noted often in these lower ball mill grindability through
grade, low mass concentrate using G-cell pages, High Pressure Grinding Rolls weakening the crushed material by the high
pneumatic flotation followed by ultra-fine (HPGR) are becoming increasingly pressure applied, which significantly
grinding and oxidative treatment using Aachen attractive as crushing technology in gold contributes to an improved downstream
reactors and MMS leach reactors. The ultra- treatment. KHD Humboldt Wedag notes that processing result.”
fine grinding stage is not unique to Leachox “both their large capacity (up to 3,000 t/h KHD Humboldt Wedag was contracted for
process and is in fact an integral part of the per unit) and fine crushing performance the supply of a type RPS 7-140/110 for the
design of many competing processes. However, [offer] advantages in gold treatment – 800 t/h tertiary crushing at the Sanshandao
grinding refractory gold ores to below 20 micron demonstrated for practically all projects that gold mine, China. The unit will be equipped
and finer, whilst liberating more gold, also are presently being realised (such as with the patented KHD STUD-PLUS wear
liberates many other mineral species which Boddington, Vasilkovka, SanShanDao) or resistant roll surface. Another HPGR circuit
affect the oxidative and cyanide downstream under consideration.” for gold is currently commissioned by KHD at
process. This can dramatically increase reagent “Virtually all studies [by manufacturers and Vasilkovka gold deposit in Kazakhstan, with
consumptions for the leach process and hence research bodies] indicate that, apart from the two RPS 16-170/180 units operating in
operating cost. The Leachox process however high unit throughput and low specific parallel, in closed circuit with partial product
has the advantage that the combination of energy, significantly enhanced metal recirculation. The units each process 1,440
Aachen reactors with MMS leach columns recoveries are generated. Two main t/h, generating a product of 80% < 5 mm
negates this effect to a large extent. Laboratory phenomena are considered to be responsible from a 40 mm feed.
and pilot plant test comparisons against open for this. The first is improved accessibility of Grinding is the result of the pressure
tank oxidative leach and cyanide leach have the gold in the minerals through so-called brought on a bed of material in the gap
indicated significant reductions in cyanide, lime micro-cracks that are generated as result of between the rolls. It is not dependent on the
and oxygen with Leachox. In some cases this
can be an order of magnitude reduction.
“Leachox also has the added advantage of
accelerating leach kinetics. In recent test work
on refractory sulphide gold concentrate the
leach recovery increased from 60% to 97%
with the leach time reducing from 24 to less
than five hours."
The Leachox process is supplied under a
license agreement with the exclusion of the
ultrafine grinding mills, for which several
commercial alternatives exist.
MMS notes, as mentioned earlier, that “one
of the drawbacks of conventional open tank
oxidative processes is high cyanide
consumption. This not only has cost
implications but importantly can contribute to
WAD cyanide levels in excess of the the high pressure applied to the ore in HPGR physical gap opening between the rolls, as is
International Cyanide Code guidelines resulting crushing. This results in an enhancement of the case with conventional roll crushers. The
in expensive tailings treatment costs.” MMS gold recoveries in e.g. heap leaching, even high press force applied brings about a high
also offers a Cyanide Destruction process (CN- from the coarser grain size fractions. Another reduction ratio and a significant micro-crack
D Process - covered in the April issue), which advantage [of] HPGR is a finer product and a generation, liberating gold grains and
has the ability to destroy WAD cyanide to
levels well below the code requirements and
dovetails well with the Leachox process as it
incorporates the same Aachen reactors
allowing for standardisation of spares and
design.
A flowsheet incorporating Leachox has
been adopted by Vasilkovskoye gold mine in
Kazakhstan and is currently being
commissioned. The Leachox process there is
designed to treat 50 t/h of flotation sulphide
concentrate. The concentrate is ground to
95% minus-4 micron using three 2,000 litre

26 International Mining MAY 2010


enhancing amenability to gold recovery. The
grains produced have been pre-stressed and
weakened by micro-cracks.
An example of a heap leach plant flow
sheet with HPGR in a closed circuit
arrangement with a partial product recycle
This enhances leaching rates in (heap)
leaching, and in virtually all cases improves
grinding results by increasing the subsequent
ball mill grindability (lowering the ball mill
work index).
Much of the current emphasis of HPGR
technology is to replace tertiary and
quaternary crushing, and increase ball mill
throughput by providing a finer mill feed at a
reduced grindability and a high fines content.
In many cases, a circuit of primary & secondary
crushing, HPGR treatment, and ball mill
grinding can be seen as a feasible alternative
to SABC (SAG and ball mill circuits).
For heap leaching operations HPGR can
replace tertiary and quaternary crushing
stages to produce a leach feed with a
moderate quantity of fines, and a permeable
heap. Process studies and column leach tests
do demonstrate a high
permeability, increased recovery and
faster leaching times than with
conventional crushing technologies.
Bottle roll tests similarly indicate
lower tailings Au assays and shorter
leach times for more refractory ores.
Depending on the ores
considered, it is generally observed
in heap leaching (column leaching)
that lower tails are obtained from
HPGR even when conventionally crushed
products are finer than the HPGR
products in all size ranges and this is
true for all rock types. For example it is
effective working on rhyolite, quartz
latite (a latite with a phenocryst modal
composition containing 5-20% quartz;
above 20% quartz, the rock would be
classified as a rhyolite), feldspar, biotite
or diorite, etc. The conclusion is that the
micro-cracks developed in the ore particles by
HPGR allow relatively more gold to be
extracted than by conventional crushing. This
has been reported in a large number of
studies and the presence of these cracks is
shown in microphotographs.
A detailed analysis of the leaching results
for various HPGR tests shows that tails and
thus recoveries are affected by specific press
force. A higher specific press force gives a
finer overall particle size distribution and leads
to a greater density of micro-cracks and this
will directly affect tails and thus recoveries.
The lowest tails have consistently been
obtained when the sample has been crushed
in the HPGR. KHD says “the analysis suggests
that HPGR is the best and possibly only
alternative for preparing particles for heap
leaching in a particular application and the
specific press force is the key parameter.“
An example of tailing assays of a recent project
GOLDDIESEL FUEL
RECOVERY
vertical fine grinding disc mills. Refractory
cyanide consuming minerals are then
oxidised in a series of nine Aachen reactors
with oxygen before being pumped to
cyanidation.
Deswick Technologies is another company
working hard on refractory gold ores. As Dave
Capstick, Sales Director, presented a paper at
Minerals Engineering’s Comminution 2010
conference in Cape Town last month (Is fine
grinding an appropriate technology for the
optimal extraction of refractory gold ores?). In
it he notes that “by their very nature [they] are
complex, difficult and costly ores to process.
Historically these gold deposits have often
yielded low recovery rates and have required
sophisticated and costly technology to extract
any meaningful value. It is a commonly aired
opinion, that as the mining community strives
to discover more worldclass gold deposits the
ores will become more refractory in nature and
therefore offer a greater challenge to process.”
His paper describes the application of a fine
grind Deswik technology on a number of
Zimbabwean greenstone refractory projects.
“Fundamentally an understanding of the base
mineralogy of the deposits and having the
ability to effectively release and recover that
gold from the gangue material is the key,” he
says ”to providing an effective and sustainable
technical solution.
“The general principal in using a fine grind
technology to release value from refractory
ores is the simple physical process of grinding
the ore to fineness where all the gold particles
have at least one of the faces exposed to a
downstream chemical leach process. The
optimal product size is determined
fundamentally by the mineralogy of the
material i.e. if a significant amount of the gold
particles reside in the <20 µm fraction then
clearly a normal ball mill grind of P80 –75 µm
will not release the full potential of the
material. In the past the cost of milling the ore
to the required size was prohibitive both in
terms of milling energy and the effect of
decreasing the mill throughput due to
excessive recirculation loads.”
He concludes the paper with the following
comments. “The use of fine grinding on the
refractory greenstone gold ores does have the
ability to release much higher grades than
previously encountered using other
technologies. If managed effectively, a
combination of fine milling and chemical
leaching will provide a cost effective, safe and
environmentally sound system to process these
difficult and complex materials.
“The resultant high recoveries, generally in
the order of 60-88% lead to a situation where
MAY 2010 International Mining 27
REFRACTORY GOLD PROCESSING
GOLD RECOVERY

Deswik 1000 mill

INVERTED
CONE
LEACHOX 180° BEND

• Ultrafine grinding CAMLOCK

COUPLING
• Partial oxidation of sulphides
GREENLINE
• Treats preg-robbing ores MINING
HOSE
• High gold recoveries SCHEDULE
40 PIPE
• Low capital and operating costs On

PIPE CLAMPS
CYANIDE DESTRUCTION SECOND
INLET
BALL VALVE 170°
TEE WYE
PRESSURE GAUGE
WITH CHEMICAL SEAL

previously uneconomic refractory ores can be processed in an

environmentally sound manner with manageable plant operating costs of
$300-$450/oz.”

Dewatering innovations
The highly successful LASTA MC (mining concentrate) filter press
distributed by Micronics is successfully dewatering mine tailings and
mineral concentrates throughout the world. A proven work horse in
MMS CN-D extreme environments operating 24/7, there are over 100 machines in
service worldwide many with over 20 years of trouble free operation. The
• Destruction to Cyanide Code requirements recent repeat order for Gammon Gold, Mexico, increases that operation's
• Low capital and operating cost existing capacity by 34% and will be installed in mid 2010.
• Improved gold recovery Ishigaki's Sakaide factory in Japan designs and produces the LASTA
MC; a technology which plays such an important role for the reliable
• Simple process uses standard reagents
economic dewatering of mineral concentrate and for sustainable
More Process Technology… practices handling mine tailings. Ishigaki filter presses are known for their
ability to filter short cycles and discharge filter cakes faster than
• Imhoflot Pneumatic Flotation
conventional machines. Ishigaki says it "is the only present manufacturer
• Aachen Reactors of fully automatic filters capable of running operator free on mining and
• Traveller Laboratory Flotation Cell industrial process sites utilizing two novel methods of handling the filter
• Contubes™ concentrate dewatering and drying cake discharge - the MC for mining applications and SD model for
process applications."
Three large, heavy duty models are offered with plate sizes of 1.5 x 2
m, 2.1 x 2.1 m or 2.1 x 2.9 m, providing optimum sizing opportunities
that will dewater tailings to 14% moisture and mineral concentrates to
MAELGWYN MINERAL SERVICES optimal 8% cake moisture.
www.maelgwyn.com
Maelgwyn Mineral Services Limited Cyanide alternatives
Wales ,UK • Tel +44 2920 340 800 • Fax +44 2920 340 805 In CSIRO work, an elution process that combines the benefits of chloride
mms-contact@maelgwyn.com and sulphite is showing it has the potential to be a key step in a new
Maelgwyn Mineral Services Maelgwyn Mineral Services gold thiosulphate leaching and recovery system. The process uses both
Australia Africa (Pty) Ltd chloride and sulphite in a synergistic mixture to elute (or strip) the gold
Perth, Australia Johannesburg, South Africa thiosulphate complex from the resin used to adsorb the gold after it is
Tel +61 8 9279 4061 Tel +27 11 474 0705
leached from its ore using the cyanide alternative – thiosulphate.
Fax +61 8 9279 4061 Fax +27 11 474 5580
maus-contact@maelgwyn.com mmsa-contact@maelgwyn.com

REFRACTORY GOLD PROCESSING • CYANIDE DESTRUCTION

 GOLD
DIESEL RECOVERY
FUEL
Gold process
Many refractory ore types do not respond well to cyanidation and
activated carbon recovery, and as regulations on using cyanide become
stricter, and public perception against cyanide increases in many
plants that work
countries, we need to look for other recovery methods.
Although thiosulphate offers an alternative means of dissolving gold
from ore, there is a crux: activated carbon does not work well in
recovering the gold from the thiosulphate leach solution.
F rom ore to bullion and fine gold,
Bateman Engineering is on top of
any gold processing assignment – from
This is where the new Minerals Down Under Flagship’s elution process, test work and studies to complete
which also sees the eluant and resin recycled, could help.
Lead researcher CSIRO’s Dr Matthew Jeffrey, working through the
turnkey projects, covering all processes
Parker CRC for Integrated Hydrometallurgy Solutions, says a small-scale needed for the effective recovery of gold.
pilot has validated the work. “It ran for 40 days with continuous loading
of the resin, followed by elution and resin recycling, and then gold
recovery by electrowinning. There was no decline in performance of
either the adsorption or elution circuits over this period,” he says.
Jeffrey explains refractory ore types that do not respond well to the
cyanidation process “contain carbonaceous material that ‘steals’ the gold
from the cyanide solution. This phenomena is known as preg-robbing.”
That gold is lost as recovery moves to the next step. This is because it is
finer than the screens used to recover the activated carbon pellets.
Thiosulphate leaching coupled with resin adsorption and elution is one
of the potential technologies for processing these ore types.
Matthew.Jeffrey@csiro.au
In January Oro Silver Resources received results from SGS Laboratories
in Toronto from first-stage lab testing of ammonium thiosulphate
leaching of ore from its El Compas property in Zacatecas, Mexico. The
testing program focused on thiosulphate processing as an alternative
means to cyanidation processes to extract gold and silver at El Compas
mine and potentially from its El Orito vein.
The preliminary test results showed up to 90% recovery of gold and
50% recovery of silver on a sample grading 3.66 g/t Au and 65.3 g/t Ag,
after grinding to 80% passing 73 microns and leaching in an alkaline
aqueous solution of ammonium thiosulphate.
Tom Bagan, Vice President and COO of Oro Silver stated, “These test
results show that ammonium thiosulphate could be an alternative
processing option to a cyanidation system for El Compas ore. This Bateman Engineering has supplied more than
provides much more flexibility in our operational planning and permitting 60 permanent gold processing plants and made
process. This first phase test program obtaining high recoveries is very
major modifications to existing plants worldwide.
encouraging. In addition, the thiosulphate extraction method for gold
and silver is considered another viable option that would be less capital Bateman Modular Plants are ideal for smaller
cost intensive allowing for the mine to potentially be more profitable
gold processing operations, fast track operations,
with a shorter payback period.”
Previous work carried out by SGS using cyanide leach testing on El
remote locations and where construction is difficult.
Compas property ore reported gold and silver recoveries of over 95% They allow for rapid and low cost relocation after an
and 70% respectively. economic reserve has been depleted.

Mercury cleanup
Yukon-Nevada Gold is developing a mercury recovery and control Bateman Engineering N.V.
technology and has achieved positive results with recent stack tests at its Offices in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe
wholly owned subsidiary Queenstake Resources’ Jerritt Canyon gold Contact us directly at:
mine, near Elko, Nevada. Six stack tests, conducted by an independent
Email: enquiries@Bateman.com
contractor, all showed mercury levels at approximately 50% and SO2
Web: www.Bateman.com
levels of less than 2% of the levels allowed under the Consent Decree
recently signed with the State authorities.
Graham Dickson, the COO of the company, and the developer of the
technology stated, “The support we received from the State in allowing
us the time to develop a technology specifically designed for Nevada – process plants that work
applications has been key to our success. We are continuing to optimise
all of the important parameters and believe when we do so this OUR CORE VALUES: ACCOUNTABILITY, CUSTOMER FOCUS, COACHING
technology will enable us to achieve significantly lower emission levels & MENTORING, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND TEAMWORK

MAY 2010 International Mining 29


Queenstake shut down in August 2008 to upgrade
the facilities and address outstanding environmental
requirements of the NDEP. Since then, Queenstake
has been working on the installation of the new
calomel system that controls air emissions to the
atmosphere. The picture shows the completion of
installation of all ductwork for the new emission
control equipment at the milling facility
MINE MASTER – love at the first drilling
than those recently documented.”
Robert Baldock, the company’s President,
commented, “We are clearly excited by this
developing technology and expect that it could
lead Jerritt Canyon to become an example and
demonstration Alpha site for the industry.”
Patent protection for the new technology is
being pursued and it is hoped that the
Mine Master Ltd.
ul. Dworcowa 27, Wilków
59-500 Zlotoryja
Poland
GOLDDIESEL FUEL
RECOVERY
technology will be adopted by other
companies which have difficulties in meeting
their mercury emission levels.
Following a year-long investigation into
mercury emissions, in March 2008 the Nevada
Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP)
ordered Queenstake to install new state-of-
the-art mercury control (calomel) emission
control equipment at the Jerritt Canyon mine
by the end of that year. Before the NDEP's
order was satisfied, Queenstake, by its own
action, stopped mining and processing ore at
Jerritt Canyon mine in August 2008. The
facility remained shut down while the new
emission control systems were designed. Staff
from Queenstake and the NDEP worked
together to resolve several air emission issues
related to the roasting operation.
Power factors
ABB has been very active in great gold projects
recently. In addition to the Boddington HPGR
drive pictured, Osisko Mining has chosen the
company to supply a harmonic filter system for
its new gold concentrator in Canada. Osisko
holds a 100% interest in the Canadian
Malartic gold deposit in Quebec. The mine is
currently being built at this, one of the world's
largest undeveloped resources wholly owned
by a junior explorer. Current reserves are 6.28
Tel: +48 76 87 83 511
Fax: +48 76 87 84 101
info@minemaster.eu
www.minemaster.eu
MAY 2010 International Mining 33
 GOLD RECOVERY

Moz, plus an Indicated resource of 1.4 Moz

and an Inferred resource (including the Barnat
deposit) of 2.75 Moz. The maximum open-pit
mining depth is 375 m and the potential at
depth will be investigated during Phase Four of
the exploration program. The mine will
produce 591,000 oz/y of gold for a minimum
ten-year mine life.
Osisko chose ABB for the supply of a
harmonics and power factor correction
(H&PFC) filter system that will maximise energy
efficiency and power stability. In 2007, ABB
sold a complete 19 MW gearless mill drive
(GMD) system to Osisko, as well as the
performance of a network study. The GMD
system will be ready for operation by
September 2010. To respond to the demanding ABB successfully commissioned the world’s largest HPGR drive system for Newmont’s Boddington gold mine
requirements in terms of power supply and expansion project in Western Australia recently. ABB drive systems are an essential part of the plant design. Full
grid stability, from the local energy supplier, output will be reached during 2010. Thyssen Krupp Polysius and ABB worked together on a delivery that
ABB took an innovative approach for the comprised two 2,800 kW HPGR units, two converter transformers, two medium voltage frequency converters and
network study and subsequent solution design. two squirrel cage induction motors. By optimising the grinding process, ABB’s ACS1000 drives will help the plant
ABB designed the new filter system to reduce its energy consumption. The variable speed drive system provides operational flexibility through a variable
maximise energy efficiency as well as increase speed range and is ideal for the processing of inhomogeneous ore types at different throughput rates
power supply stability. It is scheduled to be
delivered in the second quarter of 2010 and
ready for installation and startup in the third cubicles. ABB is also responsible for testing and plant operation to comply with harmonic
quarter of 2010. ABB is undertaking the design, startup of the complete filter system. regulations and maintain the power factor
engineering and delivery of the hardware filter The customer will be able to operate the above the defined level. “This will provide the
components such as capacitors, reactors, GMD system without distortion on the supply highest possible energy efficiency during
resistors, grounding switches and control network. ABB’s H&PFC filter system will allow operation,” ABB says. IM

34 International Mining MAY 2010