Cyanide-free leaching technology launches
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has licensed Perth-based Clean Mining to sell and distribute a new cyanide-free gold processing technology.
The technology was developed over more than a decade by the CSIRO and replaces cyanide with a safer, less hazardous chemical reagent called thiosolphate.
The inorganic compound helps to dissolve fine gold out of ores into a solution, which can then be recovered through further processing.
Clean Mining MD Jeff McCulloch says that currently around 75% of gold extracted from ore is processed using cyanide or mercury, which are toxic to both humans and the environment.
“Eliminating cyanide and the associated tailings dams from the gold recovery process is a game-changer for the sector and, importantly, for the communities where gold miners operate,” he says.
Clean Mining will initially target small- to mid-scale miners that can benefit from the cost-effective leaching ore processing solution, which will include a plug-and-play plant that can be customised and scaled to meet individual needs.
The technology is suitable for greenfield and existing mines, as well as for locations where cyanide could not be used or is banned.
“Clean Mining also offers a solution for large-scale gold miners using cyanide that aspire for greater levels of environmental, social and governance standards,” McCulloch says.
McCulloch says that the company has already fielded interest from miners seeking to unlock previously uneconomic or stranded deposits, as the solution does not require financial investment in a large-scale plant, and mitigates hazardous chemical risks.
“Our technology enables all miners to eliminate the use of toxic chemicals which, put simply, is the right thing to do.”
Comments
The
content
you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.
If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.
If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.
For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation