Confidential Gold-Copper Project, Australia
Commercial-scale GEOCOAT® Plant
GeoBiotics is working with a confidential client to develop a gold-copper project in Australia. The process facilities currently being designed include crushing, milling, flotation, GEOCOAT® biooxidation, CIL for gold recovery, and SX-EW for copper recovery. Mineralogical analysis of the concentrate shows it to be dominated by pyrite with copper present as enargite and chalcopyrite. A major goal is to remove the refractory pyrite and cyanide-consuming copper sulfides by biooxidation, and enable production of gold and copper metal on site. Another key aspect of the project is the ability of GEOCOAT® to stabilize the arsenic in the concentrate, making it safe for disposal in accordance with international standards. Initially, the GEOCOAT® plant will treat 180,000 tonnes per year of low-grade concentrate.
After biooxidation, residue from the GEOCOAT® operation will be treated by carbon-in-leach cyanidation to recover gold, and pregnant leach solution will be treated via SX-EW for production of copper cathodes. The Phase 1 design incorporates sufficient leach pad area to accommodate expansion by an additional 20,000 tpy. Construction of the project is planned for late 2011.