GOLD EXTRACTION As the Discovery Rate and Grades Fall
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GOLD EXTRACTION Midas mission As the discovery rate and grades fall, John Chadwick looks at processing ideas to get the most out of the world’s gold deposits he declining rate of new gold discoveries new ounces of 290 Moz, and with a much lower MDM Engineering Group has signed an EPC contract for the execution of a 2.4 Mt/y gold and grades across the global market grade of 1.3 g/t. plant for African Barrick Gold’s (ABG) Tduring the last decade has accelerated Europe had the third most new discoveries Bulyanhulu Process Plant Expansion project in over the last four years. Data and analysis from with 240 Moz but with a higher grade than Tanzania. ABG is the largest gold producer in Tanzania with a portfolio of four operating IntierraRMG reveals that the two-year period North America of 2.0 g/t. South America mines and is the owner and operator of from 2003 to 2004 was the best in the study recorded 188 Moz, whilst Australasia saw 74 Bulyanhulu Gold Mine. MDM successfully range, with over 400 Moz of new gold Moz of new discoveries with an average grade of completed the bankable feasibility study in December 2011 followed by value engineering discovered. This includes Inferred, Indicated and 1.4 g/t. in March and April 2012. MDM is now Measured ounces with an average grade of 1.65 Glen Jones, Western Hemisphere Director for executing the project which includes g/t. In contrast, 2005 and 2006 had the lowest IntierraRMG concluded, "With global drilling construction of a new 2.4 Mt/y CIL (carbon in leach) facility to process tailings reclaimed from number, with just over 150 Moz of new gold activity waning, IntierraRMG forecasts that the the historical tailings concurrently with current discovered - albeit with a similar grade. next few years will continue the trend with fewer flotation tailings Discoveries then increased significantly during new gold discoveries." 2007 to 2008 with greater than 390 Moz. The challenges of the gold mining sector “with a average grade also increased significantly to Recovery challenges dual approach to low grade ores; investigating 2.65 g/t; the highest in the 10 year period. The AMIRA P420 series of Gold Processing physical methods for continuous early gangue Over the next two years, slightly more than Technology projects has delivered industry rejection, with an emphasis on ore 250 Moz were discovered with a declining grade focussed research outcomes for 25 years. The characterisation of the amenability for ores for of 1.25 g/t. This deterioration continued through P420E extension project proposes new continuous high mass gravity separation; and 2011 and 2012 as the amount of new gold initiatives in the area of gold processing set novel research into the production of ounces discovered dipped below 225 Moz with a within the context of the complex technical, environmentally benign gold lixiviants at site, reduced grade of 1.17 g/t. human resource development and with an emphasis on organic acids lixiviants In this ten-year study period, Africa lead the environmental challenges that face the gold through bacterial production. Both these way with new discoveries of 479 Moz of gold industries of the second decade of the 21st approaches, one physical and the other with an average grade of 2.8 g/t. Next was century. chemical, seek to reduce 1) fine grinding of the North America, although with significantly less The 420E project attempts to address the total mined ore; 2) the associated capital and operating processing costs; and 3) environmental aspects of generating large amounts of tailings that have to be treated.” The project further builds on the existing range of website models (www.goldknowledge.com). Brenton Fitzgerald of Mineral Engineering Technical Services (METS) explains “gravity recovery of gold is an important method for the removal of free milling, coarse gold from a gold plant feed, resulting in a reduction of gold passing through the leach circuit. “A gravity gold recovery in excess of 20-30% is generally considered sufficient to warrant the 00 International Mining | MAY 2013 GOLD EXTRACTION installation of a gravity gold circuit. Historically conjunction with flotation, can produce a dedicated team is supported on an ad hoc basis shaking tables and other low gravity methods concentrate that is able to be fed directly to by other members of Gekko’s Technical Team. have been used, however centrifuge more intensive processing units. The benefits of such long-term collaboration concentrators such as the Falcon and Knelson Newcrest Mining and Gekko have developed a agreements include the ability to convert concentrators have brought greater efficiencies three-year research and development program innovative ideas and concepts into more and recoveries and are now more common. targeting improvements in energy efficiency, efficient processing. “The key motivation for the use of gold reduced operating costs, increased recovery and concentration is to avoid the occurrence of gold faster project implementation at existing and Continuous gravity recovery short circuiting, where the coarse gold is not future planned projects for Newcrest. The Gekko says the “virtuous cycle” has been leached prior to leaving the leaching circuit due benefits of this program for Newcrest will be conceived as a tool to assist in developing to insufficient residence time.” The removal of achieved through the application of concepts to opportunities to reject gangue or recover coarse free milling gold from the leach feed optimise crushing and grinding utilising mineral at optimum crush/grind size. The aim of reduces the short circuiting risk. technologies and flowsheets that focus on this model is to maximise throughput and Furthermore a high gold grade to the leach gangue rejection, pre-concentration and minimise power consumption. Ideally particles circuit can result in higher gold loadings on the liberation at coarse grind size. are rejected or recovered at liberation size. This activated carbon. If so, this “can result in some Increasingly the alliance with Newcrest is process allows for a smaller high-grade gold in solution not being recovered by the shifting towards supporting brownfield concentrate stream to be created which can then carbon and being lost to tailings. operations. Important studies and work is being be treated intensively for recovery. Mineral or “Another issue that can arise is a higher undertaken to support the metallurgy teams gangue can be rejected based on size number of elution cycles, resulting in higher with a particular focus at Cadia, Telfer, Hidden (screening), density (gravity separation), surface operating costs. With the removal of the gravity Valley and Bonikro. chemistry (flotation) or magnetic properties. recoverable gold the amount of gold passing Part of this collaboration is to identify areas To optimise the application of this cycle using through the carbon circuit is lower, reducing the for improvement in the recovery of gravity continuous gravity in the separating step, Gekko risk of gold losses.” amenable gold at the Cadia Valley Operations. developed the continuous gravity recovery (CGR) Also, of course, gravity concentration has These efforts focus on both primary gravity laboratory test work protocol. CGR protocols are been a long-term environmentally friendly circuit and secondary treatment. Once an alternative to the standard batch gravity option for mineral separation. Over the past enhancements are identified, they are then recovery (GRG) test work program offered by century its role in the recovery of minerals has systematically worked through to resolution. many. declined with the development of other A further project being reviewed by the technologies for use in finer grind, higher collaboration is the introduction of gangue capacity circuits. Recently, however, gravity rejection methods at the Telfer mine. The ore is concentration has been revisited and, in described as having a “bricks and mortar” particular, as a complementary process to structure due to the valuable minerals being flotation. “This, Gekko comments, “reflects, in present within the more friable “mortar” part, the increasing costs of flotation chemicals. component of the matrix. This gives the “The development and application of a potential to separate waste from the valuable continuous gravity concentration unit, such as mineral by size, density and competency. This the InLine Pressure Jig (IPJ), is at the core of this matrix has the potential to allow rejection of a innovative flowsheet. Contrary to other significant portion of the ore for very little loss continuous gravity devices, such as spirals and of valuable mineral using gravity methods. traditional jigs, the IPJ has the capacity to Long term strategic relationships between recover mineral at relatively fine particle sizes - gold processing specialists such as Gekko and down to 100 micron. Batch gravity concentrators operators such as Newcrest Mining allow for are used in free gold recovery and their broader high quality data-based site performance mineral application is limited due to their very analysis. These studies can not be performed low mass yield.” over short periods and require a consistent and Gekko’s InLine Pressure Jig. Used extensively in Gravity separation of minerals at coarser critical view to achieve best outcomes. “Using a continuous gravity circuits installed world-wide recovering a range of minerals sizes, as soon as liberation occurs, can boast specialist collaborative resource such as Gekko significant advantages for downstream flotation is providing significant insight into opportunities treatment stages due to decreased surface area, for improved operation at a number of our sites” Gekko explains: “GRG tests are typically used more efficient dewatering and the absence of says Paul Griffin, Metallurgy Manager, Newcrest to determine batch centrifugal concentrator chemical coatings that can interfere with further Mining. (BCC) recovery in a milling circuit; this produces processing. The combination of gravity A structure of this type allows Gekko to low mass yield concentrates.