OVERVIEW OF MINERAL PROCESSING

AT PONGKOR PROCESSING PLANT, PT ANTAM TBK

Overview of Pongkor Gold Mine

Aneka Tambang (Antam) means ‘many mines’ in Indonesian. Antam has a diverse range
of products extracted from several active mines dispersed throughout the Indonesian
archipelago. Gold Mining Business Unit of Pongkor (Unit Bisnis Pertambangan Emas /
UBPE Pongkor) is one of five Business Units Antam has. Pongkor gold mine is located
near Bogor, in the province of West Java, the site is approximately 90 km from Jakarta.
Pongkor Gold Mine is covered by KPDU893 (mining contract with the government),
which was granted on April 20th 1992 for a period of 30 years for gold and silver with
surface area is approximately 4,058 Ha.

Figure 1. Location of Pongkor Gold Mine

The history of Pongkor Gold Mine was began when PT Antam started exploration in
1974 at Limbung Mount and then switch to Pongkor Mount in 1979. Antam’s Geology
Unit discovered the gold deposits at Pongkor in 1981. After the feasibility study was
finished in 1991, construction of the infrastructure was begun in 1992, and production
was commenced in May 1994.

The Pongkor gold mine has three primary veins of gold being mined: Ciguha, Kubang
Cicau and Ciurug. The mining methods is conventional cut and fill stoping method for
Cuguha vein and Kubang Cicau vein, and mecahnised cut and fill stoping method for
Ciurug vein.

The processing plant at Pongkor gold mine was originally designed with a capacity of
182,500 wmt of ore per annum, then expanded in 1995 for a increasing capacity of
273,750 wmt of ore per annum.

Ore processing at Pongkor processing plant consists of the following stages :

1. Crushing and fines separation
2. Milling
3. Leaching and carbon-in-leach (CIL)
4. Elution
5. Electrowinning
6. Smelting
7. Tailing thickening and detoxification
8. Waste water treatment
1. Crushing and Fines Separation

Figure 2. Flowsheet of Crushing & Fines Separation

Crushing is the first stage of the ore processing process. Run-off-mine ore is loaded by
dump truck into crusher ROM-bin passing the 400 mm aperture grizzly bars. The ore is
feeded by appron feeder to jaw crusher (primary crusher) to reduce its size down to
-150 mm, then transported by Belt Conveyor CVR#1 to Belt Conveyor CVR#2, with a
tramp iron magnet positioned at the end of CVR#1 to catch metal material from mining
operation which found its way coming along with the ore.

CVR#2 drops the ore into primary screen, which is an double deck inclined vibrating
screen, 20° of declining angle, square straigth aperture of 32 mm for upper deck and 16
mm for lower deck. The oversize is transported by Belt Conveyor CVR#3 to cone crusher
(secondary crusher), reduced its size down to -16 mm and discharged it into Belt
Conveyor CVR#1, join the product of jaw crusher, back to the primary screen. This
circuit of secondary crusher and primary screen has a circulating load of 30%. The
undersize of primary screen, having size of -12,5 mm due to the inclined position of the
screen, falls to secondary screen.

The secondary screen is a double deck vibrating screen with slot straigth aperture of 5
mm for upper deck and ½ mm for lower deck. The oversize is transported by Belt
Conveyor CVR#4 to either Fine Ore Bin #1 or via a transfer conveyor Fine Ore Bin#2,
each 800 tonnes of capacity. The undersize, which is slime, is pumped to fines
thickener. Both this fine ore and slimes, which are the products of crushing plant, will be
feeded to ball mills in the next stage of process.

The crushing plant process 1150 wmt of ore at daily average, and is not operated for 24
hours per day. The fine ore bins acts as a buffer for continous 24 hours downstream
process.

2. Milling

Milling are next stage of comminution to reduce the ore size down to 74 µm (P80%) so
the gold minerals are liberated from the gangue minerals for the next leaching stage
purpose. Starting this point, the processing streams was split into two streams : plant
#1 and plant #2; difference in capacity. Plant #1 has capacity of 500 wmt of ore per
day and Plant #2 has capacity of 750 wmt of ore per day. Each plant is feeded from its
appropriate fine ore bin, FOB#1 feeds ball mill #1 by Belt Conveyor CVR#5 and FOB#1
feeds ball mill #2 by Belt Conveyor CVR#6. Thickened slimes from fines thickener (by
aid of flocculant) is split to feed the two plants.

Milling circuit at each plant has a dicharge type ball mill and a cluster of hydrocyclones.
Ball mill #1 rotates at 19 rpm and uses 80 mm steel grinding balls, while ball mill #2
which is bigger in dimension 1 rotates at 17 rpm and use 50 mm steel grinding balls.
There is trommol screen at the ball mill’s discharge end to screen out not-complete-
ground oversize. This oversize is loaded again onto mill feeder conveyor by wheel
loader.

The slurry product of ball mill is discharged into mill discharge bin, diluted to 60% solids
of pulp density, and then pumped to cyclones. Plant #1 has 6 hydrocyclones in pack, 4
is operating and Plant #2 has 5 hydrocyclones in pack, 3 is operating. Cyclone is a
classification unit, work by centrifugal mechanism created from pressure of tangensial
entering feed, the coarse and heavy particles will fall to underflow while the fine
particles will go to overflow. The underflow of the cyclones, 72% solids, reports back to
ball mill for regrinding, while the overflow, 40% solids, reports to the next process. The
circulating load of each milling circuit is 250%.

Figure 3. Flowsheet of Milling

Some chemicals are added in milling area, i.e. lead nitrate and hydrated lime. Lead
nitrate is added at feed sprout of ball mill as catalyst agent of silver leach, according to
this chemical reaction:
Ag2S + PbNO3 + 4NaCN  2NaAg(CN)2 + PbS + Na2NO3

Hydrated lime is added at mill feeder conveyor (CVR#5 and CVR#6) to control the pH of
slurry at 10,0 – 10,5 because cyanide is already introduced in the milling circuit for
dilution of cyclone feed, coming from tailing thickening process (later process).

3. Leaching and CIL

Leaching is a prosess to dissolve gold and silver from the ore. The ore must be fine
enough to be exposed to the leach chemicals so the leaching reaction can commence.
4Au + 8CN- + O2 + 2H2O à 4Au(CN)2- + 4OH-
4Ag + 8CN- + O2 + 2H2O à 4Ag(CN)2- + 4OH-

The leaching method in this plant is agitation leaching. Plant #1 has two 340 m 3 leach
tanks and plant #2 has one 1000 m 3. The feed comes from overflow of hydrocyclones,
screened as two trash screens for each plant to remove organic trash such as wood chip
that found its way up to this point. Chemical used as leach agent is sodium cyanide
(NaCN), dissolved in cyanide make-up tank (typically 300 kg in 4 m 3 solution), pumped
into the leach tanks at certain dose to maintain cyanide strength at leach tanks at 750-
900 ppm. Compressed air is injected into the slurry through agitator shaft’s center
channel. The pH is maintain at 10,0-10,5 from former addition of hydrated lime. The
residence time of the slurry in the leach tanks is approximately 15 hours.

For the carbon-in-leach (CIL) process, plant #1 has five 290 m 3 tanks and plant #2 has
two 340 m3 tanks and five 290 m 3 tanks. The slurry flows down consecutively from the
first tank to the last tank, through overflow launder, while the active carbon travels
counter currently. The total residence time of the slurry in the leach tanks and CIL tanks
is approximately 48 hours. At each CIL tanks, there 8 mm aperture carbon interstage
screen, type kambalda, before the slurry enter the overflow launder to prevent the
carbon flow with the slurry down to next tank. Carbon travel is done by pumping the
slurry with carbon uptank, passing the carbon transfer screen to return the slurry.

Active carbon inventory in tank, measured in gram carbon per litre of slurry, is 20 g/L in
first CIL tank, 10 g/L in mid tanks and 30 g/L in last CIL tank. The last tank has to have
high carbon distribution because this is the last chance for adsorption of leached gold
and silver, before the slurry flow out as tailing. The last tank is also entrance point of
barren carbon after being screened in carbon sizing screen, 5 mm aperture, to remove
the fine carbon. Fresh carbon is added periodically to compensate loss of carbon
attrition during carbon transfer.

Figure 4. Flowsheet of Leaching & CIL plant #1

 Figure 5. Flowsheet of Leaching & CIL plant #2

The active carbon will adsorp the leached gold and silver according to this reaction:
2Au(CN)2- + Ca2+ + carbon à carbon-Ca[Au(CN)2]2
Beside adsoption of gold-cyanide and silver-cyanide complexes, there are also inorganic
fouling on carbon surface, causing decreased in carbon surface area available for
adsorption of the complex.
2CN- + O2 + 2H2O + 4OH- à 2CO3- + 2NH3
Ca2+ + CO3- à CaCO3

When the carbon reach first CIL tank, it become loaded carbon. When the gold content
in loaded carbon reach 1000 grams Au per tonne carbon, this loaded carbon was ready
for the elution process. Meanwhile, the slurry overflow from last tank is subjected to
tailing treatment process.
4. Elution

Elution is a process of stripping the adsorbed gold and silver complexes from the
carbon. The method of elution employed is Anglo American Research Laboratory
(AARL). Unlike the continuous process in CIL, elution is a batch process, each batch
treat 6 tonnes of carbon. The loaded carbon from CIL is pumped to loaded carbon
screen, 5 mm aperture, to screen out fine carbon and return the slurry to CIL tank. The
loaded carbon is hold in carbon surge bin until 6 tonnes, then washed with water before
subjected to be stripped in elution column.

Elution process consist of 6 stages:

1. Acid wash
Carbon is wash by chloric acid to remove carbonates or silicates (inorganic
fouling), most commonly calcium carbonate. 33% HCl is injected simultanously
with fresh water into elution column from the bottom inlet. Inside the column
HCl concentration should be 3%.
CuCO3 + 2 HCl → CaCl2 + CO2 + H2O
MgCO3 + 2 HCl → MgCl2 + CO2 + H2O
Ca[karbon-Au(CN)2]2 + 2 H+ → Ca2+ + [karbon-AuCN] + 2 HCN
The washing solution is discharged from the top outlet of the column to the last
CIL tank. This acidic solution can help the performance of flocculation in
thickening process. This process last in 5-10 minutes after consume 1000 kg of
HCl.

2. Water rinse
The acid-washed carbon is rinse by hot water (70-90 °C). The water source is
the same with the stage 1, pumped though plate reclaim heat exchanger (RHE),
passing plate heat exchanger (HE), into the elution column. To achive high
temperature of the water, the elution heater is started. The main heat exchange
occurs in plate heat exchanger, by media of glycol heated in elution heater. This
 washing solution is, still the same with stage 1, discharged to the last CIL tank.
This stage last in 110-120 minutes.
passing through reclaim heat exchanger. In reclaim heat echanger, heat
exchange from the discharged solution with incoming water. So, the incoming
water is preheated in RHE before being heated in HE.

3. Pre-soak
Loaded carbon is soaked with caustic cyanide solution, make-uped by dissolving
250-300 kg of caustic soda (NaOH) and 200-250 kg of sodium cyanide (NaCN) in
9 m3 of fresh water, to get a 3% of cyanide strength at pH 12,5 min. This cautic
cyanid solution is heated in HE up to 90-110 °C. At this stage which take 20
minutes, the bonds of gold-silver complexes with carbon begin to weaken. For
the first 5 minutes, the solution flowing out of the column which is the remaining
of previous stage, is still discharged to the last CIL tank. For the rest 15 minutes,
the solution stay in the column.

4. Recycle elution
This stage is the most important stage where the gold-silver complexes stripped
from carbon the most. Solution from recycle tank, which is from stage 5 & 6 of
previous elution process, is pumped into elution column via RHE and HE first, out
to electrolyte filter, RHE, then eluate tank. The eluate is also called pregnant
solution. This stage last in 120-130 minutes and temperature of the solution
entering elution column is 100-110 °C
carbon-Ca[Au(CN)2]2 + NaCN à 2Au(CN)2- + Na+ + Ca2+ + carbon
carbon-AuCN + NaCN à Au(CN)2- + Na+ + carbon

5. Water elution
After the previous stage, the carbon is still contain some gold and silver. In this
stage, fresh water is pumped through RHE and HE into elution column to strip
the remain gold and silver, out to RHE, then into recycle tank. The temperature
of the water entering elution column is 100-110 °C, and this stage last in 100
minutes.
 6. Cooling
The same with previous stage, only the heater is turned off. The purpose of
cooling down the barren carbon is for safety issue. Process last in 30-40 minutes
until the temperature is 60-70 °C.

The barren carbon, is pumped with water to the last CIL tank. In case of carbon
becoming less active after a couples of elution circles, the barren carbon is reactivated in
regeneration kiln at 650-700 °C, before sent to last CIL tank.

There is only one elution plant in Pongkor process plant to serve two CIL plants. But we
have two elution column in case one column is not available to be used. There is also
two eluate tanks, one for each CIL plant.

Figure 6. Flowsheet of Leaching Elution

5. Electrowinning

Pregnant solution from stage 3 and stage 4 of elution is subjected electrowinning. There
is two electrowinning circuits, each consists of one eluate tank, five paralel
electrowinning cells, and one return spent sump. The pregnant solution is circulated in
the circuit during electrowinning. Each electrowinning cells has 11 mesh anodes and 10
wire mesh cathodes, made of Stainless Steel AISI-316, and one rectifier to supply 1200
A and 8 V of electricity.

Gold, silver and some base metal impurities will deposited at cathodes :
2Au(CN)2- + 2e- → 2Au + 4CN-
2Ag(CN)2- + 2e- → 2Ag + 4CN-
During the electrowinning, caustic soda is added in return spent sump to keep the pH
above 12,5. If the pH drops too much, the anodes will corroded. It is anodes reaction
which cause the pH to drop.
4OH- → 2H2O + 4e- + O2

Eletrowinning stops when the gold content in the solution lower than 3 ppm. This barren
solution, which contains high cyanide is pumped to cyanide holding tank for cyanide
solution make-up for leaching tanks.

6. Smelting

After 3-5 circle of electrowinning, the deposits at the cathodes is harvested. The
cathodes is taked off the cell then sprayed by water to detach the deposits. This cake is
vacuum filtered and dried on a stove at 700-900 °C till moisture content of 15%. 5-6 kg
of borax is added to the dry cake as smelting flux for slag formation and lowering the
melting point of the Au-Ag alloy. The cake is smelt at 1200 °C in a furnace. After the
smelting finish, the floating slag which contain oxide of impurities is skimmed first
before tapping the metal. The slag is collected, after its quantity is enough, the slag will
be smelt in other furnace to recover the Au and Ag which are skimmed along with the
slag.

The metal is tapped into bullion moulds. After the dore bullions is frozen, they are
weight and store in bullion safe for later be sent to Logam Mulia for refining.

Figure 7. Flowsheet of Electrowinning & Smelting

7. Tailing Thickening and Detoxification

The slurry overflow from last CIL tank, after passing through carbon safety screen, is
pumped to the brigde type thickeners. Each plant has a double stage counter current
thickeners, differs in dimension, 7 m in diameter at plant #1 and 12 m in diameter at
plant #2. Flocculant is used to enchance the settling process. The tailing is pumped to
feed thickener #1, for the first stage of thickening. Overflow of thickener #1 is pumped
to milling circuit for diluting mill discharged slurry to reutilize its cyanide content.
Underflow of thickener #1, 40-50 %solids, is pumped to thickener #2. Overflow of
thickener 2 is pumped back to thickener #1, while the underflow, 50-55 %solids, will
report to cyanide detoxification tank.

Figure 8. Flowsheet of Tailing Treatment

The thickened tailings from both plant are pumped to detoxification tanks. Method of
cyanide detoxification in this area is INCO Process, which uses sodium meta-bisulphide
(SMBS) as detoxification agent and copper sulphate as catalyst.
Na2S2O5 (s) + H2O → 2SO2 (g) + 2NaOH
CN- + SO2 (g) + H2O + O2 (g) → CNO- + H2SO4
The tailings overflow from detoxification tank #1 to tank #2, then, each tank capacity is
290 m3. Overflow of detoxification tank #2 is pumped to backfill silo. There is two
backfill silos which hold the tailing before pumped from their underflow to the
underground mining as backfilling material. The overflow is pumped to tailing dam.

8. Waste Water Treatment

Tailing dam is the final disposition area for tailing from overflow of backfill silos with
cyanide content of 6 ppm max. In tailing dam, also occurs natural cyanide degradation,
i.e. vaporation, ultraviolet radiation, biologically cyanide destruction. The tailing dam has
capacity of 1,8 m3, top surface area of 12,000 m2 depth of 40 m. There is seepage
collection dam (SCD) to hold the seepage water of tailing dam before pumped to IPAL
Cikaret (waste water treatment plant). Part of tailing dam overflow is also pumped to
IPAL Cikaret, while the other part is pumped back to process plant as process water.

IPAL Cikaret has two effluent tanks, one is for treating tailing dam seepage water and
the other is for tailing dam overflow. Its objective is to control some parameter of the
waste water that will be discharged into river, i.e. total suspended solid <200, pH 6-9
and cyanide <0,425 ppm. Chemicals used in Cikaret are coagulant and flocculant for
clarifying, and hydrogen peroxide and copper sulphate (catalyst) for cyanide destruction
by Degussa method:
CN- + H2O2 → CNO- + H2O
Overflow of effluent tanks flows to decand ponds for settling its suspended solid before
goes into river.

There is also other waste water treatment plant under the supervision of process plant,
IPAL Tambang. The treatment process and targe parameters is the same with IPAL
Cikaret, but there is only one effluent tank. The feeds come from mine water, overflow
of process water tanks, and waste water of process plant area. The clarified water is
both discharged into river and pumped to fresh water tanks at process plant.
 Figure 9. Flowsheet of waste water treatment IPAL Cikaret

Figure 10. Flowsheet of waste water treatment IPAL Tambang

Figure 11. Flowsheet of Process Plant (overall)