PART I PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
8. DISCUSSION
Evaluation of a number of refractory gold projects has highlighted the need to examine each orebody individually, in terms of both mineralogy and ex- ternal factors, such as location, size,etc. There is not yet any process that has been developed which is as widely applicable to refractory ore treatment as CIP or CIL techniques are to oxide orebodies.
It is extremely difficult to propose a generic programme for the evaluation and selection of a refractory process. These can vary from situations such as that of Ashanti on the Sansu project, where both whole-ore and concentrate processes were highly applicable, necessitating a long and exhaustive eval- uation of the alternatives, to one such as Minahasa, where the preliminary testwork programmes and mineralogy demonstrated that whole-ore roasting
Process flowsheet selection 93
was a more obvious selection without the need for more extensive studies and testwork.
Perhaps the most important step in selecting a refractory process for a particular orebody is to ensure that the mineralogy and metallurgy are well understood prior to making any decisions. These then need to be considered in the context of the constraints of the process location. It should then be practicable to select a shortlist of suitable technologies for more detailed evaluation.
REFERENCES
Adams, M.D., 1999. Aspects of the chemistry and mineralogy of gold–copper and copper–gold processing. In: Adams, M.D. (Ed.), Processing of Gold-Copper and Copper-Gold Ores. Oretest, Perth, pp. 17–42.
Allen, P., Lunt, D., Messenger, P., 1998. Process selection, design and commissioning of the Rawas Gold Project. In: TMS 1998 Conference. TMS, USA.
Barter, J., Lane, G., Mitchell, D., Kelson, R., Dunne, R., Trang, C., Dreisinger, D., 2000.
Cyanide management by SART. In: The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society. TMS 2000 Conference, New Orleans, Warrendale, PA.
Beattie, M.J.V., Raudsepp, R., Foo, K.A., Balderson, G.F., 1989. Application of arseno (redox) process technology to refractory ores and concentrates. In: Harris, B. (Ed.), Pre- cious Metals 1989, 13th International Precious Metals Institute Conference, Montreal, Quebec, June 1989. International Precious Metals Institute, Boulder, CO, pp. 327–333.
Beer, G., 1994. Processing options for the treatment of preg-robbing ore at the Macraes Gold Mine. In: Proceedings of 6th AusIMM Extractive Metallurgy Conference. AusIMM, Melbourne, pp. 203–208.
Broadhurst, J.L., 1994. Neutralization of arsenic-bearing Biox liquors. Minerals Engineering 7(8), 1029–1038.
Chryssoulis, S.L., Thomas, K.G., 1994. Deportment of gold in disseminated sulphudic gold ores. In: Peacey, J. (Ed.), Proceedings of the Eighteenth International Precious Metals Conference, Vancouver. International Precious Metals Institute, Pensacola, FL.
Fleay, J., Lane, G., Reynolds, K., La Brooy, S., 2002. Selection of comminution circuits for improved efficiency. In: Crushing and Grinding. IIR, Kalgoorlie.
Foo, K.A., Bath, M.D., 1989. Trends in the treatment of refractory gold ores. In: Randol 1989 Conference. Randol, Colorado.
Giraudo, T., Cadzow, M., Lunt, D., Quafe, T., 2000. Macraes pressure oxidation circuit.
In: Randol 2000 Conference, Vancouver. Randol, Colorado.
Henley, K.J., 1991. Determination of the nature and location of gold in ores and mill prod- ucts. In: Randol Gold Forum, Cairns. Randol, Colorado.
Khoe, G., Carter, M., Emett, M., Vance, E.R., Zaw, M., 1994. The stability and immobi- lization of iron arsenate compounds. 6th AusIMM Extractive Metallurgy Conference.
AusIMM, Melbourne.
Kitney, M., 1998. Cyanide regeneration of gold tailings – Goldconda Beaconsfield experience.
In: Perth International Gold Conference. Randol, Colorado.
La Brooy, S.R., Linge, H.G., Walker, G.S., 1994. Review of gold extraction from ores.
Minerals Engineering 7(10), 1213–1242.
Lane, G., Lunt, D., 1997. SAG mill circuit selection, scale-up and sizing. In: Optimizing Crushing and Grinding in the Mining Industry. IRR, Perth.
Lunt, D.J., Kyle, J.H., 1991. An investigation of disposal options for arsenic trioxide produced from roasting operations. In: Australasian IMM publication series, No. 7/91,
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Proceedings of 5th Extractive Metallurgy Conference, Perth, 2–4 October 1991. Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Melbourne, pp. 347–353.
Nicholson, H.K., Oti Atakorah, S., Lunt, D.J., Ritchie, I.C., 1993. Selection of a refractory gold treatment process for the Sansu Project. In: Biomine 1993, Australian Mineral Foundation. Glenside, South Australia.
Taylor, G.H., 1997. Carbonaceous matter in samples from Macraes Flat. Report to Macraes Mining Company Ltd. Australian National University, Canberra.
Dave Luntis recognized by the minerals processing industry worldwide as one of the industry’s most experienced technical professionals. His career consists of 36 years of operational and consulting experience. David has worked on a wide range of major studies and projects in almost all commodities, including the management and execution of detailed designs and studies for gold (oxide and refractory), copper (oxide and sulfide), uranium, diamonds, nickel laterites and sulfides, vanadium, and other minerals and metals. In addition to his technical experience, David has significant senior management experience having held a number of senior positions with GRD Minproc, including General Manager of the Company’s Sydney and Teheran offices. David assumed his current position of Chief Technical Officer in 2002, and also sits on the GRD Minproc Board.
His international experience is extensive having worked on all continents. David’s recent career includes consulting assignments for Rio Tinto, Anglo American and BHP Billiton. Two of his many achievements at GRD Minproc are the development of one of the industry’s strongest hydrometallurgical groups and the development of business in Africa.
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Tony Weeks’scareer involves 18 years experience in engineering and operational roles in the mineral processing industry. His engineering experience includes design, construction and commissioning. Operational experience has been in oxide and refractory gold plants in roles from contractor through mill manager. Tony joined GRD Minproc in 2002 after a significant period with Newmont Mining in the United States and Indonesia.
Since joining the Company he has fulfilled a number of key processing and commis- sioning roles, including the Kansanshi Copper Project. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Metallurgy from the South Australian Institute of Technology as well as a Post Graduate Certificate in Environmental Management from Murdoch University, Western Australia.
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Chapter 4
Metallurgical testwork: Gold processing options, physical ore properties and cyanide management
J. Angove
SGS Lakefield Oretest, Malaga, Australia