eco-friendly gold leaching reagent and an innovative gold leaching technology for small scale mining...
TRANSCRIPT
An Eco-friendly Gold Leaching Reagent and An Innovative Gold Leaching Technology for SSM (Small Scale Mining) Gold Mine operations,
Presented to
Senegal Government
By John Guo (P. Geo. Ph D),
Geoconsulting & Technical Services
March 9, 2016
Project Objectives
• Introduce eco-friendly gold leaching reagent to replace the toxic cyanide and mercury in artisanal and Small Scale mining (SSM) gold mining in Senegal,
• Introduce an effective VAT(Pool)-leaching gold mining method to improve gold recovery,
• Training local artisanal and SSM miners how to build an effective Pool leaching facility for gold extraction,
• Training local artisanal/SSM miners how to do gold leaching and improve gold recovery with a simple way,
• Convert artisanal/SSM mining operations from out-of-date operation to a green and sustainable economic activity in the 21 century .
Significances • Get rid of the toxic cyanide and mercury from gold
mining operations,
• Ensure a safe and eco-friendly gold mining activity in Senegal and expend this work ethic to its neighboring countries in west Africa,
• Significantly improve gold recovery and local workers’ family income,
• Increase Senegal’s national gold production by its own citizens not by foreign gold mining companies.
Environmental Problems caused by cyanide and Mercury
Dead fish in local river Poisoned by leaking cyanide solution in Zimbabwe
Cattle dead after drinking cyanide contaminated water
In Tanzania
In Guatemala
Health Problem Caused by Cyanide and Mercury in Artisanal Mining
Eco-Goldex Reagent
• 100% eco-friendly! Easier and quicker approval for project permitting!
• No environmental contamination risks, easier community acceptance and
support of your project!
• 100% replacement of cyanide in gold leaching operations!
• Simple system, same as cyanidation, No change on existing ore process
flowsheet!
• Low-toxic, treated as ordinary chemical; Simple logistics significantly
reduce your project operation costs!
• Proven success in commercial gold mine operations in China, SE Asia and
African countries.
• Unique business model minimize your project risk; Your project is under
your control!
Product web site: Eco-goldex.com Product user forum website: eco-friendly-gold-leaching.com
Poor Gold Recovery Rate is a common problem in Artisanal and SSM mining in Africa
Usually, gold recovery rate is about 40-50 %
Tailing materials usually contains Au:~1-2 g/t, many of them as high as 10-13 g/t
Sampling in tailing materials to check Au grades
Tailing Samples are ready for assay in Lab
Tailing Material Assay Results indicate a lot of gold still not recovered in the rejects
Artisanal /SSM Gold Ore Pool Leaching Flowsheet
An Innovative Pool Leaching System can improve gold recovery rate up to 90%
Pool Leaching Process Description Ores/Tailing materials are transported to process site;
Materials are crushed (if necessary) using hammer crusher;
Crushed materials are loaded into leaching pool with loader;
Material is leached in pool for about 10 days; leaching solution is cycled three times in the whole process before discharge the material out of the pool;
Pregnant solution is pumped into CIC; diluted solution is pumped back to dilute solution pool for recycling.
Gold bearing carbon will be burned and gold will be recovered through refinery;
Leached ores in pool are discharged by excavator and reload new ores into the pool for next leaching process.
Pool Leaching Advantages • Simple system: loader, excavator, generator, water pump, Eco-
goldex reagent, activated carbon,
• Low capital investment requirement. A SSM operation needs only about 100K-150K USD to start,
• Portable and scalable, n x1000 tonnes – 100K tonnes materials are workable with pool leaching method,
• Safe, green and environmentally clean, easy to operate,
• Leaching solutions are in a closed system and recycled, processed materials no de-toxic process because they contain no contamination chemicals (actually can be used as fertilizer).
How VAT Leaching Process
The most commonly used VAT leaching facilities in developing / undeveloped countries have their innate technical drawback which causes Poor Permeability and circulation of leaching solution and low gold leaching rate and recovery rate.
Ore loaded in VAT
Ore in leaching
Prepare VAT
Ore discharged after leaching is done
An innovative VAT leaching facility with a special designed grid and geometry layout significantly improves leaching solution permeability and circulation in the VAT and accordingly improves gold leaching and recovery rate by 20% compared with what the most SSM miners are using in the market.
Front-Loader to Load Material into VAT
Tailing Material Re-processing Cost and Profit
Item Amount/t unit unit cost($/t) Eco-Goldex reagent 0.6 kg/t (ore) 2.4
Fuel +Power 1.2
water 0.15 t/t 0.75
Equipment cost 1.5
Manpower cost 1.55
Administration 0.85
Refinery 1.5
contingency 2.5
total 12.25
Assume 1 tonne material with average Au grade of 3 gram and 80% recovery, Au price: 1200$/Oz, 1 tone material value is: 3*80%/31*1200$/Oz = 93$. After deducting operation cost, 1 tone material net profit is: 80$
Pilot Project Capital Investment Budget • Wheel Loader: 30K USD
• Excavator: 35K USD
• Truck: 25K USD
• Eco-goldex reagent: 6.5K USD
• 25KW Generator: 12K USD
• Geomembrane: 4.8K USD
• Activated Carbon: 5K USD
• Water Pump, Pipes: 5K USD
• Test agents and consumable Materials: 2K USD
______________________________________________
Total budget: 125K USD
If some of the equipment are available, the start up budget can be further lowered to a minimum 50K USD.
Time Table of the Pilot Project April May June July August
Fund raising
Project partnership
Equipment lead
Site preparation
Operation
Site training
We expect to process about 5000 tonnes of tailing materials (average Au grade 3 g/t, average recovery rate 80%, gold price 1200$/Oz), and the total revenue will be: 460K USD. The 5000 tonnes of material process time will be about 65 days.
Project Partners
• Mine Department of Senegal government
• Geoconsulting and Technical Services (GTS)
• UN Senegal Office, UN Development Program(possible fund source