Geometallurgical simulation of the SART process for cyanide control within gold and silver extraction

Gold and silver are precious metals and are difficult to extract from ores that have complicating minerals. These complicating minerals may in other circumstances be favourable due to their copper and zinc content but are problematic when the main value is the gold and silver. In particular, these copper- and zinc-bearing minerals occupy the cyanide that would otherwise capture the precious metals, thereby increasing the overall cyanide consumption. The SART process (Sulfidation, Acidification, Recycling and Thickening) is capable of regenerating the cyanide that is being consumed by the problematic copper- and zinc-minerals likely, in many cases, increasing the overall competitivity of gold and silver mines. The current project is to adapt an existing simulation framework for gold and silver mines to simulate their operations as-is without SART, and then to simulate their operation with the SART process, so that the comparison could potentially justify the installation of SART.

Faculty Supervisor:

Alessandro Navarra

Student:

Partner:

BQE Water

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McGill University

Program: