Agglomeration and Stacking
Agglomeration is typically conducted as a separate unit
operation where fine crushed ore is contacted with raffinate
or concentrated acid in a rotating drum. Some operations
prefer to agglomerate using the conveying system with
transfer points. GEOLEACH™ can work with any conventional
system provided that good agglomerants are produced and
that the addition of biological cultures after stacking
can be facilitated.
Stacking is conducted in a manner similar to conventional heap leaching operations. A wide variety of stacking systems are available and the selection is dependent on pad configuration, customer preference and capacity. Stacking can be conducted with small radial stackers, larger track mounted radial stackers, or crawler based linear stackers.