2020 Compendium of Technical Papers Albion Process™ exceeded expectations. Even with large swings in sulphur grade and feed rate, we maintain gold recovery in the cyanidation plant above design targets. Without Albion Process™ we would only achieve around 20% gold recovery and huge cyanide consumption, but with Albion Process™ we can achieve over 95% gold recovery and minimal cyanide consumption, giving the process plant outstanding return on investment.” – GPM Gold Albion Process™ at a Glance > Real-world success in delivering over 99% leach recovery > Replaces large complex high-cost capital assets with simple low-cost capital assets > Tolerates a broader low grade more variable content feed and works where others fail > Incredibly fast and simple to commission and operate > Modular so it can be implemented in stages but maintain economic performance > Strongest performance guarantee in the world For more: [email protected] Tel +61 7 3833 8500 Albion Process™ – 2020 Compendium of Technical Papers Contents First Commercialisation of the Albion Process™ for Copper ............................................................................................................................................................. 2 Ramp-up and long-term performance of the Albion Process™ plant at GeoProMining Gold Armenia ........................................................ 14 Making the Right Selection: A Comparative Analysis for the Treatment of Refractory Gold Concentrates ................................................ 25 The Albion Process™ at the GPM Gold Project – The Success of a Technology ............................................................................................................... 33 Mount Isa Mines Necessity Driving Innovation ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 47 Oxygen Mass Transfer in the Albion Process™: from the Laboratory to the Plant ......................................................................................................... 58 Economic Recovery and Upgrade of Metals from Middling and Tailing Streams ............................................................................................................ 71 Technology for Processing of Refractory Gold-Containing Concentrates Based on Ultrafine Grinding and Atmospheric Oxidation ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 81 Commissioning and Ramp-up of the Albion Process at the GPM Gold Project .............................................................................................................. 88 Evaluating Process Options for Treating Some Refractory Ores ................................................................................................................................................ 102 Commercialisation of the Albion Process .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 137 Benefits of Using the Albion Process for a North Queensland Project, and a Case Study of Capital and Operating Cost Benefits Versus Bacterial Oxidation and Pressure Oxidation ................................................................................................................ 156 Albion Process™ – 2020 Compendium of Technical Papers 1 Contents First Commercialisation of the Albion ProcessTM for Copper Paul Voigt1*, David Littleford2, Glenn Stieper1, Mike Hourn1 1. Glencore Technology, Australia 2. Sable Zinc Kabwe Limited, Zambia ABSTRACT Sable Zinc Kabwe Limited ("Sable") is a base metal processing plant two km south of Kabwe Town in Central Province, Zambia. The region has a rich history in mining and minerals production, being a major lead and zinc producer from the 1900’s up to the mid-1990’s. In 2006, a copper plant was built at the Sable processing site to treat third party copper and cobalt ores and concentrates. The current flowsheet is based on whole ore leaching, solvent extraction and production of 8,000 tpa LME Grade A copper cathode. The plant is currently on care and maintenance and Glencore Plc ("Glencore") has taken the opportunity to convert the plant to an Albion ProcessTM plant to treat local concentrates unsuitable or uneconomic for smelting. The Albion ProcessTM plant comprises an M100 IsaMillTM operating in acidic conditions such that raffinate from the downstream process is recycled back to slurry the concentrate delivered to site thus maximising copper tenor in solution and reducing water consumption. The finely ground concentrate is then fed to existing stainless steel leach reactors converted to Albion ProcessTM duty by fitting HyperSpargeTM supersonic oxygen injectors. The leach product is then directed to the existing solid / liquid separation equipment and onto copper and cobalt recovery circuits. The plant was designed based on testwork of a nominal concentrate, however, a flexible approach to design allows the treatment of a wide range of concentrates. This positions the Albion ProcessTM plant at Sable a regional treatment facility for feed that is not economic to treat by conventional means. 1 2 Albion Process™ – 2020 Compendium of Technical Papers Contents INTRODUCTION he able Zinc Kae Limite "Sable") proess pnt is ocate 2m south of abe town and 140m orth of usaka n entrl rovine, Zambia. In 1902 rh deposts of in and ed ere disovere with mies and proessin pants operting i and aroud the town unt mid-199. 000, the Kae Mine tilins ams ere sold to able , ey estblishe ompn as prt of purhse del for other plots and facilites. p ut 2004, able produed inc thodes in n SX/E pant treatn wash pant tailin material. 004, Sable was acqured the South frcan minin ompn etorex Limite "Metorex") and n 006 opperobalt SX/E pant was bult to produe opper cathode from malahte ore suppie from the emorat Republi of ono. In 011 Jinhun roup Internatonal esoures o. t acquired etore and Sable was in tur sold to subsdiar of leore l ("Glencore"). Gleore paed able o care nd mainteane in ovember 01 due to a eline in ommodity pries ouple with the cash flo restrtons use the withholdin of Value dde Tax refuds in relaton to ue 18(1)(b) the Zambia Revenue Authort. In 015, leore ealuted the poteta for the Albon roessTM to treat o grde onentrtes that oud ot e treate smeters due to umber of limittons incluin urrent ble fe to the opper smeter, lo opper rde lo fuel contet ue to on-suphde ontet, hih obalt ontet and hih mpurites suh slica or lumina. Testor was performe on rne of smpes to mae an assessment of proess fleibilit and, crtically, opper and obalt reoer. ollowin this suessfu testor eison s ten to onvert the eistin Sable oppercobalt pant to an lbion roessTM pant pble of treatn opperobalt onentrtes cotaining refrtor minerals suh as hloprte (ue2 and rrollite (uo2S4). he converson ll make use of eistin nfrstruture suh as the stainless steel oxide leh tns, the obalt reover rut and the opper SX/E pant. he pant nameplate s 1,000 tonnes per annum ME rde A opper cthode. obalt will e reoere throuh the existin carbonate preiptton proess. he Albion roessTM is n atmospheri lehn proess to oxidse refrtor o and base metals onentrte in ferrc/ferrous suphte sstem for downstream reover to final produts. The tehnology s provide oball b Gleore ehology "GT"). he proess omprises to steps. he first is utr-fie rndin step performe n n saMillTM to rind the mineral onentrte down to sze here reaton produts in the oxidaton step to o ot pssivate the mineral surfae and nhibit ehn. he seond step is the oxidaton of the utr-fne roud oentrate throuh supersoni njetion of oxyge with GT’s HyperSpargeTM. he proess rus t atmospheri pressure, autothermally and under mildl acidi conditions. In the case of base metals suh as opper the soluilise metls are then reovered from soluton SX/EW. In the case of refrator old the oxidise surr is sujete to nidaton or an euivalet proess for old nd slver reover. he Albion roessTM has been ommercialise n in and old with five pants n operton and reported o etesivey (our & urner 010 ourn urner, 012; our et al., 2014; ot et al., 015; esheo et al., 016). he lbion roessTM installe t Sable ll be the first ommercialiston for lehin of opper nd obalt. hs pper esrbes the testor deveopmet proram nd the proess engineerin performe to onvert the able pant inclun the first ppicaton for an sMillTM opertn n rffinate. he pper then desribes the able lbion roessTM Plant nd estmate projet sheue. 2 Albion Process™ – 2020 Compendium of Technical Papers 3 Contents DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM In eeopet programs or the Albion rcessT, both tehnial and eonomi aspets of a ptetial projet are ealate t deterine if it should e progresse t the net stage f deeopet Glere Tehology follows a eeopet program in accorane with the Assoiation or the Advanemet of st ngineering International "AACEI") ecoended ratie . 8R-97 (hristese and ysert 2005), whih has been smmarise in Table 1. Table 1 AACEI rjet eeopet Stages Class of Project Purpose Accuracy LL (%) Accuracy UL (%) Testwork Study Completion (%) ass G o-G - to -20 +30 to 0 - 2 Bench x ass re-Feasibiity - to -15 +20 to - 15 Bench x Bench ass Feasibiity - to -10 +10 to - 40 10 Piot ass Fie i rep - to -5