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Gold

Clean TeQ provides continuous countercurrent ion exchange (CCIX) systems, using its Clean-iX® technology for extraction and purification of gold from slurries and clarified solutions. Clean TeQ also provides engineering services and design of gold processing circuits.

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Leaching

Clean TeQ assists clients in understanding the relationship between leaching and extraction for gold processes. Clean TeQ has experience in optimisation of leaching and adsorption to optimise recovery of gold and reagent consumption for a range of leaching lixiviants and process conditions.

In some applications, the Clean-iX® Continuous Resin-In-Leach (cRIL) system increases recovery of gold, through the reduction of adsorption of natural carbon in ore and by increasing leaching kinetics through gold resin adsorption during the leaching process.

 

Extraction

Understanding the optimum balance between gold extraction and leach lixiviant consumption is critical to ensure economic recoveries of gold. Clean TeQ assists clients with the selection of the optimum extraction route and resin to provide the highest gold recovery to their leach stream.

The Clean-iX® Continuous Resin-In-Pulp (cRIP) system for leached slurries and the Clean-iX® Continuous Resin-In-Column (cLX) system for clarified solutions recover up to 99% of gold. 

Comparing Clean-iX® resin-based systems and conventional carbon (CIP/CIL) system, resin-based systems have the following benefits:

  • Fast adsorption kinetics for cyanide and cyano-metallic complexes,
  • Very low abrasion losses,
  • Higher gold loadings,
  • No elution / regeneration losses,
  • Common equipment for elution/ regeneration,
  • Easier to pump and screen,
  • Elution/ regeneration occurs at much lower temperatures than carbon,
  • Lower capital costs for adsorption and elution systems,
  • Non-fouling via organics or metal loading suppression by clays,
  • Provides the ability for complete cyanide and cyano-metallic removal,
  • No promotion of thiocyanate formation.

Clean TeQ designs systems to recover gold, gold and silver, or all cyanide complexes. Clean-iX® systems can also be used for non-cyanide leaches, such as thiourea.

 

Elution

The process selection for elution can greatly impact the reagent consumption of a mine and the performance of resin in adsorption. Clean TeQ offers a range of elution solutions to optimise the flow sheet to give the most economic outcome.

Clean-iX® Elution systems offer significant capital and operating cost savings when compared to conventional technologies. Clean-iX® U-Column Elution systems produce very high gold eluate tenors, reducing the eluant reagent consumption and optimising the performance of the resin.

 

Cyanide Recovery

Cyanide is the most widely used lixiviant for gold leaching. Because of the potential detrimental impact on the environment if poorly managed, there is a growing demand for the reduction in the cyanide levels in gold tailings streams. There is likely to be heavy investment in this area due to environmental legislation changes in regions such as USA and Australia. Ion exchange technology provides a cost effective process for removing and recovering cyanide from barren pulps and liquors.

The Clean-iX® Cyanide Recovery system offers an economic process for the recovery of cyanide from gold leach process streams by reducing the environmental impact of tailings and the cyanide consumption costs for mines.

The Clean-iX® Cyanide Recovery system utilises the principles of continuous counter current ion exchange to recover cyanide in the form of cyano-metallic complexes as well as free cyanide. The operating cost for cyanide recovery is typically 50% the cost of sodium cyanide.

The Clean-iX® Cyanide Recovery system can also be used on existing CIP plants to scavenge gold and silver, further increasing the economic benefits.

 

Product Recovery

The combination of elution and product recovery is critical in ensuring product quality is maintained and reagent consumption is minimised. Clean TeQ assists clients in understanding the optimal process route to minimise cost and maximise gold recovery and purity for their ore body.

 

Water Recycling

In many mining operations, water is almost as valuable as the metal mined. Clean TeQ's range of ion exchange solutions recycles water back into the process. In many cases, metals removed from water streams can be returned to process or converted to saleable products.

Clean TeQ has solutions for:

  • Mine Water treatment
  • Desalination
  • Heavy Metals Removal & Recovery
  • Potable Water
  • Ground Water Treatment
  • Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)

 

Tails Scavenging

In existing operations or historical tailings, significant valuable metals may not be recovered by conventional processes.

Due to high recovery rates and its optimised, compact design, Clean-iX® cRIP systems provide a cost effective method for scavenging valuable metals from mine tails and waste streams.

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