Thiosulphate Leaching (CleanEarth)

The process extracts the gold through the use of thiosulphate as the leaching lixiviant. The feed material is crushed and grinded to the required particle size. It is then dewatered to prepare for leaching. The thiosulphate reagent is mixed with water. The solution, ore and resin are added into tanks for leaching to take place. After a set time, the solution is screened to collect the resin and to filter the ore from the solution. This is followed by elution and precipitation of the gold for smelting .

Thiosulphate Leaching (CleanEarth) - Technology Assessment

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Categories Sub-categories Assessment questions Assessment
Properties of the ore Type of deposits Is the technology suitable for hard rock deposits? Yes
Is the technology suitable for alluvial gold deposits? Yes
Is the technology suitable for eluvial gold deposits? Yes
Type of ore Is the technology suitable for free milling ores? Yes
Is the technology suitable for oxide ores? None
Is the technology suitable for sulphide ores? Yes
Is the technology suitable for carbonaceous ores? None
Is the technology suitable for refractory ores? Yes
Is the technology suitable for sand rock bearing ore? None
Is the technology suitable for ore with clay material? None
Is the technology suitable for ore bearing nuggets? None
Is the technology suitable for ore in desert areas? None
Is the technology suitable for ore in wet conditions? None
Is the technology suitable for ore in coarse gravels? None
Is the technology suitable for ore in fine gravels? None
Grade/gold content Is the technology suitable for high grade ores? Yes
Is the technology suitable for low grade ores? Yes
Grain size of the gold) Is the technology suitable for fine grained gold? None
Is the technology suitable for course grained gold? None
Is the technology suitable for mixed fine and course material? None
Is the technology suitable for very/ultra fine grained gold? None
Feed volume (batch volume) Is the technology suitable for large quantity of feed material? Yes
Is the technology suitable for small quantity of feed material? None
Operationals requirements Cost of equipment Are the costs of procuring the technology affordable to artisanal miners? No
Are the costs of procuring the technology affordable to small-scale miners? None
Are the costs of operating the technology affordable to artisanal miners? None
Are the costs of operating the technology affordable to small-scale miners? None
Are the costs of maintanance and replacement affordable to small-scale miners? None
Are the costs of maintanance and replacement affordable to artisanal miners? None
Utilities and inputs required Does the technology require water? Yes
Is the amount of water required suitable to processing by individual miners? None
Does the technology require electricity or power source? None
Is the amount of electricity required suitable to processing by individual miners? None
Does the technology requre diesel? None
Is the amount of diesel required suitable to processing by individual miners? None
Does the technology require reagents during processing? Yes
Is the amount of reagents suitable for processing by individual miners? None
Does the technology require any other infrastructure? None
Type of organisation Does the technology allow operation by individual miners? No
Does the technology allow operation by group of miners? No
Does the technology allow operation by organisations? Yes
Does the technology allow operation by processing plants? Yes
Does the technology work only with a continous system? Yes
Does the technology work with batch and continous systems? None
Does the technology work only with a batch system? None
Processing flowsheet and performance of the techology Processing flow Does the technology work as a standalone? No
Does the technology work as part of a process system? Yes
Gold recovery Does the technology offer high recovery rates compared to the amalgamation process? None
What are the typical gold recoveries for this technology? >90%
Does the technology produce gold directly? No
Does the technology produce gold directly but in a different form to be converted to gold? Yes
Does the technology require other processes to recover the gold? Yes
Are there potential gold losses during processing with this technology? None
Processing time Does the technology offer less processing time compared to the amalgation process? No
Tailings Can the technology re-process tailings? Yes
Recovery of other minerals Can the technology recover other minerals in addition to gold? None
Visual tracking and monitoring Does the technology allow visual tracking and/or monitoring? Yes
Local considerations Availability of the equipment Does the technology make use of equipment that is locally available? No
Availability of the inputs Does the technology require inputs that can be locally sourced? No
Scalability of the technology Can the technology be scaled up or down to suit the spectrum of ASGM activities? Yes
Adaptability of the technology Can the technology be used in remote areas? No
Ease of use/learning (skills requirement) Is the technology easy to use or learn? Yes
Does the technology require knowledge /skills on metallurgy to use? Yes
Capacity to maintain Is the technology easy to maintain? None
Health, safety and environment Risks Health and safety hazards Does the recovery of gold using this technology pose any health and safety hazards? No
Environmental risks Does the recovery of gold using this technology pose any environmental risks? No

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