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ADR plant boosts gold and silver recovery at Tanzania mine

9th October 2015

  

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An absorption, desorption and refining (ADR) plant supplied by global engineering company FLSmidth has allowed Tanzanian gold miner Shanta Mining Company Limited (SMCL) to boost its gold and silver recovery at the New Luika gold mine, in south-west Tanzania.

FLSmidth business development manager Dave Capstick says the 2 t ADR plant has resulted in an increased carbon throughput to the carbon-in leach circuit at New Luika from 20 t/m to 80 t/m.

The ADR plant comprises an acid wash, a Zadra strip circuit with an FLSmidth designed heater skid, an electrowinning circuit and a carbon regeneration kiln, in addition to ancillary equipment such as pumps, screens and tanks for carbon handling.

“All the equipment was designed and manufactured by FLSmidth. It was shipped, installed and commissioned jointly by our South African and Salt Lake offices,” says Capstick, noting that commissioning took place in the second quarter of 2014.

Initial results from the new plant pointed to an improvement in gold recovery of two percentage points, while silver recovery has tripled. The benefits of the new ADR plant were apparent at an early stage, and the ADR plant was an important step in the debottlenecking of the gold and silver recovery process, notes the company.

The ADR plant forms part of FLSmidth’s offering of gold recovery equipment. The strip circuit in particular consistently delivers stripping times of between eight and nine hours.

“Given the rise in energy costs, our improved heater skid designs have resulted in significant power savings for the end-user compared with competitor designs,” Capstick adds, mentioning a recent field case study that highlighted heat recoveries of about 90%.

FLSmidth’s electrowinning cells with basketless cathodes carry a patented in-cell washing design that reduces cathode washing time and eliminates the need to remove the cathodes from the cell for washing. Capstick notes that FLSmidth’s carbon regeneration kiln has a patented sealing arrangement that avoids air entering the kiln. “The kiln also features a robust design to avoid warping, which otherwise results in kiln misalignment and operational inefficiencies,” he says.

SMCL technical manager Wally Channon says, “The ADR plant at our New Luika Mine has already exceeded the design performance target and removed the previous bottleneck to increased process plant throughput.”

FLSmidth has also supplied spares for the ADR plant. The company is able to offer various combinations of maintenance and operational contracts to assist its clients in specific areas. FLSmidth works closely with its clients to assist with the optimisation of existing operations. Capstick says, “We work as a partner to help our clients reduce their operating costs on an ongoing basis. “This ‘One Source’ approach becomes even more effective when there is a large quantity of FLSmidth equipment on site.”

The success of the ADR plant at New Luika gold mine has generated interest in FLSmidth’s gold recovery equipment from other African mining clients. “The success of the ADR plant is a powerful statement in and of itself. The client is very pleased with the end results, and thus New Luika is an important reference base for FLSmidth,” he concludes.

Edited by Leandi Kolver
Creamer Media Deputy Editor

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