TecProMin :: Technology in Mineral Processing S.A.

Gold Silver Recovery

6

Plants installed

3

Countries

Gold & Silver

Main characteristics:

100% automatic.
Modular Type Plants.
Low assembly time.

Scope of supply:

Merrill Crowe plants. (Zinc dust Precipitation).
ADR Plants (Pressure / Atmospheric Zadra, IPS Circuit (pressure EW cells) & AARL)

TecProMin associated with the Australian COMO ENGINEERS provides complete plants as well as equipment for different gold-silver concentration systems.

Merrill Crowe Plants:

Concentration process by precipitation with zinc dust.

The noble metals once extracted from the ore by leaching by cyanidation, gold and silver are dissolved forming soluble cyanide complexes contained in the “rich solution”. In order to achieve the concentration of the noble species, it is put in contact with zinc dust so that a galvanic precipitation or cementing occurs to obtain a gold-silver concentrate. For precipitation to be an efficient and economical process, the “rich solution” must be conditioned before producing the precipitation of the gold and silver with the zinc dust extracting it: solids in suspension (clarification) and dissolved oxygen (deaeration). Once the precipitation is produced, the concentrate containing the noble metals is filtered, the precipitates are dried and heated under vacuum to extract volatile contaminating metals such as mercury and selenium in retort ovens, obtaining a gold-silver dry concentrate to be refined via pyrometallurgy, and get “doré metal” as a 99% product for sale.

ADR Plants:

Adsorption process with activated carbon (CIP, CIC, CIL).

Gold and silver already leached by cyanidation generate soluble complexes of gold and silver. These complexes present in the solution are concentrated by an adsorption process with activated carbon, known as CIP, CIL or CIC. Once the gold and silver in the activated carbon are captured, the process is reversed (desorption) changing the physical-chemical conditions of the medium (solutions) to which the coal has been transferred to release the gold-silver complexes, producing a concentration of the noble species in the new solution.

Concentrated solutions are treated by electrochemical precipitation in order to obtain a gold-silver solid concentrate (cathodic mud) that is filtered, dried and heated under vacuum to extract volatile contaminating metals, such as mercury and selenium in retort ovens, obtaining thus a gold-silver dry concentrate that is finally treated by pyrorefining, to obtain “doré metal” (99% Au + Ag) as a product for sale.

The process is complemented with the regeneration of activated carbon, which once released from the adsorbed species is treated to reactivate its properties, by means of acid washing and heating in regeneration oven (Kiln) with the purpose of regenerating the active sites that contain the carbon to be recirculated to the ADR process.

Main Projects

Lagunas Norte (BARRICK)

In July 2010, Barrick awarded Summit Valley Equipment and Engineering (SVEE) -TecProMin the supply of an ADR plant for 10 tons of carbon per day, for the Lagunas Norte Project in Peru. TecProMin was responsible for the structural design of the carbon column train, for a total of 5 columns of 6.1 m diameter x 2.8 m height each, to handle a PLS flow rate of 2150 m3 / h. TecProMin also delivered the complete package of electrical engineering and control.

Paracatú (KINROSS)

From Chile, TecProMin has designed and manufactured the supply of elution columns under standard ASME VIII Div 1, for a capacity of up to 14 tons of activated carbon.

El Peñón (YAMANA CHILE)

TecProMin was hired by Minera Meridian to review the capacity of the Au – Ag refinery, with the aim of increasing the production of 6 to 11 million combined gold and silver ounces, due to an expansion of mill capacity from 2000 to 3000 MTPD of treated ore. TecProMin was responsible for the detailed engineering design that would allow the relocation of existing equipment such as mercury retorts, as well as the supply, installation and start-up of a new 40 feet3 mercury retort.

The work also covered a verification of the equipment and the existing operation parameters of the Merrill Crowe plant and PLS clarification that would allow to efficiently treat the increase of the flow from 220 to 260 m3 / hour.

Pucamarca (MINSUR)

In January 2010, Minsur granted SVEE-TecProMin the supply of an ADR plant with a treatment capacity of 6 tons of carbon per day. TecProMin was responsible for the engineering, procurement and manufacturing of the structures and pipes of the project. The equipment of the plant was imported from the USA. together with a local manufacture. TecProMin supervised the installation and assembly of the plant as well as the training of the operators and the start-up of the plant.

La Coipa (KINROSS)

TecProMin, together with Summit Valley Equipment and Engineering, participated in the Design & Supply of 8 Mercury Retorts for the refinery area. Later, in 2010, he ended up being a participant in the inclusion of a ninth retort for the refinery area.

Molejón (PETAQUILLA PANAMÁ)

Between 2006 and 2008, TecProMin performed the complete engineering for the 3,000 MTPD Process Plant for the Petaquilla Minerals Molejón Project (now Petaquilla Gold). The plant included a (3) phase trituration; (3) ball mills of 1,100 HP each, in closed circuit with cyclones; a pre-leaching thickener; (6) agitated leaching tanks; (1) CIP type ADR plant, and an elution plant, acid wash, regeneration and refinery for activated carbon, plus a tailings thickener. TecProMin de igual manera manejó parcialmente la adquisición del equipo de la planta y el apoyo al personal de Petaquilla.

Sauzal

In September 2003, Glamis Gold Ltd. granted the supply of a complete ADR plant for the El Sauzal project to Summit Valley Equipments and Engineering, and as a representative in Chile, AKER Kvaerner Engineering Contractor for the work of EPC, awarded a subcontract to TecProMin S.A. to develop the complete engineering detail for the ADR plant, which included elution, acid wash, carbon regeneration, electrowinning and Gold Room areas, in addition to the preparation facilities for NaCN, NaOH and other reagents.

Volcan (Volcan)

In 2008, TecProMin, together with Summit Valley Equipment and Engineering, participated in the design & supply of the Merrill Crowe Plant with a capacity of 375 m3 / hour.

Pascua Lama (BARRICK GOLD)

November 2009, Engineering and Supply of Deaeration Towers for Merrill Crowe project, Capacity 2250 m3 / hour (per tower), Reagent Plants (Sodium Cyanide -Isotainer & Big Bags and Lead Nitrate).