Leaching low grade ores

Lecture objectives
• Students to learn the background to the
emergence of the treatment route applicable
to low grade ores.
• To justify the process route for treating low
grade ore bodies.
• Students must also justify the need for ore
testing prior to design and operation of heap
leaching systems.
 Introduction
• A dilute cyanide solution is an efficient solvent for gold extraction as has
been learnt.
• However as in other leaching operations, the solvent has to come in
contact with the solid gold particle.
• Hence, extensive crushing and meticulous two-stage closed circuit
grinding are needed to liberate the gold particles in the ore.
• Multistage agitation leaching followed by elaborate solids-liquid
separation is required to recover most of the gold (up to approximately
95%) in solution, in a reasonably short time.
• Large tonnage of a relatively high gold content ore is a pre-requisite for
the substantial capital and operating costs required for milling.
• Small tonnage, and /or low- grade gold deposits have to be addressed
with a process of low capital and operating costs, if possible.
• What if one could skip fine grinding-thus circumventing agitation leaching
and solids –liquid separation- and still recover a substantial fraction of the
gold contained in low-grade deposits?
• Oxidized copper ores have been leached in heaps
or vats, without any grinding or elaborate
preparation since the mid-16th century.
• However, cyanide heap leaching of gold and silver
ores is a recent development .
• Discovery of numerous low-grade gold deposits
along with the hefty gold price, stimulated the
development of low-cost cyanide leaching in
massive scale in the late 1960s.
 Heap leaching and Dump leaching
• Heap leaching means leaching ores that have been mined, crushed,
and transported on impervious pads for leaching by sprinkling or
ponding, and percolation of the solution through the stack of the
ore.
• Dump leaching means leaching dumps or accumulations of very
low- grade ore or overburden, often without the use of prepared
pads under them.
• The choice of whether to use a dump- or heap-leaching process
depends on the grade and tonnage of the available “ore”, although
permeability is the critical factor.
• Without adequate permeability, there will be no percolation, no
dissolution, and no economically acceptable gold extraction. Poor
permeability should exclude even dump leaching- in spite of its
lower operating cost compared to heap leaching.
 Concept of heap leaching
• Concept is simple
• Crushed ore is stacked on an impervious pad and
sprinkled with cyanide solution to dissolve gold
and silver.
• For the heap leaching to be successful, the gold –
bearing ore must be porous and contain fine-
sized clean gold particles.
• The ore , after having been crushed and stacked,
must have good permeability, allowing uniform
distribution of the solution through the heap,
with affordable consumption of cyanide.
 Ore characteristics for heap leach
amenability
• According to (Dorey et al, 1988)
• 1- Content of extremely small or flattened gold particles.
• 2- Porous and permeable host rock
• 3- Absence of refractory, carbonaceous, or preg-robbing
materials ( which handicap the gold leaching)
• 4- Absence of cyanicides ( materials consuming cyanide)
• 5- Absence of fines and/or clays that impede uniform
cyanide solution percolation( agglomeration is required
with excessive fines and clays)
• 6-Absence of acid-forming constituents( which cause high
consumption of cyanide or lime)
 Ore testing
• Heap leaching is not a panacea for all low-grade
gold deposits.
• The gold has to be amenable to cyanide leaching
and have most of the above listed characteristics.
• The extent of the required ore crushing- to
achieve good permeability, uniform distribution
of the cyanide leach solution, and satisfactory
gold extraction- has a paramount effect on the
economics of the projected heap leaching.
• An excessive proportion of clays in the ore, or of fines
generated by crushing, may slow the percolation flow
rate of the leach solution, cause channeling, and
produce dormant bulks of material within the heap.
• Agglomeration of the crushed ore may be required to
get a permeable and uniform feed to the heaps.
• Crushing circuits and agglomeration systems are capital
intensive and should be used in a commercial
operation only if and when their capital and operating
costs can be more than justified by the overall
economics of the operation.
 Objective of ore testing
• To establish the design and operating conditions leading to the
lowest cost per ounce of gold extracted.
• This goal can only be reached if the optimum combination of low
operating costs and high gold recoveries is achieved.
• These two major factors can often be in conflict. For example, the
higher the heap, the lower is the cost per ton for pads, ponds,
pipes, and operating labor;
• However , the increased height of a heap might adversely affect
gold extraction.
• Once the crushed (and agglomerated, if needed) ore is stacked on
the impermeable pad and the solution lines and sprinklers are
installed, maximizing the gold recovery is the only way to boost
profitability per ton of ore and per ounce of gold recovered.
 What factors influence the design of
heap leach operations
• Ore reserves: quantity and grade, mineralogy and
deleterious material.
• Terrain: space available and local relief.
• Climatic conditions at the location of the
projected heaps should be taken under
consideration during the testing and design of a
particular heap-leaching operation.
• The rainfall rate and cycle, and the temperature
levels throughout the year, may have a significant
effect on the design and economics of a heap-
leaching operation.
 Methods of leaching
Leaching method Ore size Characteristic Type of cost
extraction rate
Agitation leach -30 mesh 90- 95% in 24 High capital and
(including pressure (<0.5mm) hours operating costs
leach)
Percolation or vat <10mm Approx 80% in 1 high capital cost
leaching week
Heap leaching broken Approx 50% in Low capital and
several months operating costs
Dump leaching As mined Approx 50% in 1 or Low capital and
2 years operating costs
In-situ leaching variable
 Note: in-situ leaching
• Although reaction rates are not high, in-situ
leaching generally involves low capital and
operating costs as the ore remains in place.
• Hence there is no problem with tailings
disposal. The method is undergoing
considerable development.
• End of lecture