Randol Gold & Silver Forum, Vancouver, Canada - May 2000.

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Intensive Cyanidation And Its Implications For The Definition Of

Gravity Recoverable Gold
A H (Sandy) Gray
Technical Director
Gekko Systems Pty Ltd.
321 Learmonth Road, Ballarat, Victoria, 3350, Australia.
Phone: +61 3 5339 5859; Fax +61 3 5339 5803
Website: www.gekkos.com Email: gekkos@gekkos.com

ABSTRACT
The commercialisation of intensive cyanidation through the
development of the InLine Leach Reactor has changed the
way we define Gravity Recoverable Gold (GRG). The
increased use of batch centrifugal concentrators (a trend
commenced in the early 1990s) in grinding circuits reestablished the role of gravity concentration in the recovery of
free gold. The use of gravity provided benefits which included
lower costs and improved recovery.
The general acceptance of BCC units in the recovery of
free gold has lead to the definition of GRG as the proportion
of gold that can be recovered in a BCC. The high upgrade
features and low mass flow to concentrate of a batch unit
result in the recovery of largely free gold to the exclusion of
auriferous sulphides. Previously this feature of batch units has
been an advantage given that secondary treatment generally
beset by poor recoveries.
However the high recovery rates achieved in intensive
cyanidation have made the recovery of both free and sulphide
related gold significantly more beneficial. Increasing gravity
concentrate yield and treating. Importantly the split of heavies
to the gravity circuit has the potential to significantly increase
recoveries through preferential treatment of specific streams.
Often the sulphide stream proves to leach improved
performance in intensive leach conditions rather than in low
intensity CIP/CIL condition providing potential to
significantly improve overall recovery.
Accordingly it is becoming more generally accepted that
testwork to establish GRG should be broadened from purely
centrifugal based devices to include a broader spectrum of
auriferous related minerals.
Limitations on the performance of these circuits however
have been significant with concentrates being upgraded to
smeltable grade with the use of secondary often low "g"
gravity devices such as shaking tables. Research has indicated
very poor recoveries with often less than 50% of auriferous
material recovered from the concentrate feed (Gray, 1999).
This problem is compounded where auriferous sulphides are
present. The bulk of the concentrates produced are cleaned on
shaking tables. Concentrate yields are very low and table
recoveries are low both combining in less than optimum
performance of the gravity circuit. Where auriferous sulphides
are present this is compounded. Traditionally sulphide gold
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concentrates were difficult to treat with low recoveries and

poor quality concentrates for smelting being produced. The
tails from the cleaning process were invariably returned to the
milling circuit at relatively high grades. This material is
possibly the most difficult to treat in the downstream CIL /
CIP leach train. The InLine Leach Reactor can treat these
concentrates at high mass flows and achieve extremely high
recoveries. This has the potential to significantly increase
recoveries in some ore types.
INTRODUCTION
The use of gravity separation in CIP / CIL plants is
widespread with the benefits of recovering coarse free gold up
front well defined. The use of batch centrifugal concentrators
allows a very small mass recovery to concentrate at very high
gold grade. These devices are however limited to the recovery
of free gold due to mass pull limitations. More complex ores
such as pyrite / arsenopyrite / pyrrhotite and stibnite ores can
benefit from gravity recovery. The batch centrifugal
concentrator only partially achieves this benefit. It is necessary
to achieve higher mass pulls (yields) to concentrate in order to
recover the sulphide-associated gold. Sulphide associated gold
is gold which is attached to, or within the grain boundaries of
the sulphide particles. This material is recoverable with
conventional gravity devices such as jigs, InLine Pressure Jigs
(IPJ), spirals and less conventional units such as flotation,
Kelsey Jigs and Falcon continuous machines.
Previously continuous sulphide concentrates have been
successfully produced but have been difficult to upgrade. The
traditional tabling process can recover a proportion of the free
gold into a high-grade concentrate and can also concentrate
the sulphide component. However the gold value in the
sulphide itself is generally too low to make it practical to
direct smelt (30-1000 ppm). Smelting of sulphide material is
generally difficult and has associated health risks. Low quality
gold bars are produced which tend to break easily.
These sulphide / free gold concentrates can represent a
large proportion of the overall mill feed gold but cannot be
concentrated into a small, high-grade concentrate. Mill steel is
also present in these concentrates and has never in the past
been dealt with in a satisfactory manner (Hinde et al, 1983)1.
When metallics are recovered from the concentrate,

A.H. (Sandy) Gray.

Intensive Cyanidation And Its Implications For The Definition Of Gravity Recoverable Gold

Randol Gold & Silver Forum, Vancouver, Canada - May 2000.

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entrainment and smearing of gold ensures the product is

returned to the milling circuit. G.G.Stanley (1987)2
This concentrate / sulphide material is also problematic in
the normal down-stream leach circuit as it can be highly
oxygen consuming and is known to have passivating
characteristics in a relatively low strength cyanide leach
typical of CIP / CIL Richard Addison (1980)3
The removal of this material from the main leach circuit
can be shown to have great benefit on overall CIP / CIL
recovery.
The problem in the past has been the recovery of gold from
this lower grade, concentrate.
A combination of materials handling and chemistry has
been responsible for the move away from bulk concentrate
treatment.
The development of intensive cyanidation into a high
capacity, commercially available package is changing the way
we define Gravity Recoverable Gold
GOLD OCCURRENCE
The free gold distribution in ores varies widely (5%-95%).
The free gold distribution in the ore can be evenly distributed
throughout the ore but may also be varied within the ore type
and within any heading or working face. Test work and
characterisation on some ore types is extremely difficult and it
is these ore types which tend to give the most difficulty in the
process plant. Ores, which vary widely in gold distribution
(mineralogy), give the most trouble in the process plant.
The distribution of gold within any ore type can be split
into three major categories.
1. Free Gold
Gold which occurs as metallic / native gold / electrum. This
gold is defined by its relatively density. The density of this
material is usually greater than specific gravity. 15.

FIGURE 1
Free Gold in Quartz Vein1

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2. Sulphide Associated
Gold that is locked on and within the grain boundaries of
the sulphides. Gold that is locked within the lattice at micron
size or below (solid solution gold) which generally exhibits
refractory characteristics. This material would usually have a
specific gravity greater than 3.5 and less than 7.0

FIGURE 2
Gold in cracks in compact pyrite 1
3. Silicates and Gangue;
This gold can be attached to the gangue particle on the
surface and is amenable to cyanidation.
It is also possible that the gold is locked within the gangue
minerals at a size that is finer than the grind size. In other
words when the mineral is ground the gold is not liberated and
remains encapsulated. The density of this material can be very
low at a specific gravity of around 2.65 3.0.

FIGURE 3
Gold included in quartz 1

A.H. (Sandy) Gray.

Intensive Cyanidation And Its Implications For The Definition Of Gravity Recoverable Gold

Randol Gold & Silver Forum, Vancouver, Canada - May 2000.

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SIZE DISTRIBUTION
The size distribution of the auriferous particles within each
of the categories has a large bearing on the ability to recover
the gold to a final gravity concentrate.
In the comminution process the particles liberate at various
size ranges. This is widely variable with ore type. A particular
ore may have a large free gold component but the free gold
may not liberate until the particles are very fine. Conversely
the ore may have coarse free gold which liberates readily at a
coarse grind.
Sulphide associated gold is more variable still, with the
liberation size of the sulphide the critical issue.
The aspect ratio of liberated free gold plays a large role in
the recovery process. Gold tends to roll out into flakes very
readily which reduces the recovery potential of the particle.

When working in the steepest part of the curve, which is

always at the beginning, it is possible to recover a greater
proportion of the gold for less effort and at relatively low
yield. If one assumes that the gravity recoverable component
is that which a low yield device can recover then it is almost
impossible to picture the continuation of the curve that this
implies. It in fact implies that the grade recovery curve is not
a curve at all but a segmented set of steps. What in fact is
shown is the recovery limit of a low yield device.

100%
80%
Recovery

Of these main categories the first two are a definite target

for recovery by gravity means. The third is too close to gangue
density to be effectively separated.

GkRG

60%
GRG
GkRG

40%
20%

GRAVITY RECOVERY
Primary Concentrate
The recovery of the gold by gravity is dependant on all of
the above conditions. The free gold can by its very nature be
recovered into a low mass, high-grade concentrate. High
upgrade ratios with batch centrifugal concentrators can be
achieved. These units are limited by their high upgrade ratios
to recovery of free gold and minute percentages of the
sulphide associated gold. However depending on the ore type
the free gold component may not be dominant whereas the
sulphide component may carry the largest proportion of the
gold.
Mines such as Penjom - Malaysia, Big Bell Western
Australia, KCGM Western Australia and many others have
high components of sulphide associated gold. Some of these
ores such as KCGM are semi refractory and others are not
such as Penjom.
Many primary ores have a combination of both free and
sulphide associated gold. If only the free gold is targeted as at
present with centrifugal devices the potential for overall
recovery is reduced.
The use of continuous recovery devices, which allow far
greater mass of concentrate to be produced, ensures far higher
recoveries to be achieved. The recovery at this stage is to a
primary concentrate.
It must be remembered that in virtually every case both
jigs, spirals and centrifugal concentrators require massive
upgrade to produce saleable grade bars, ranging from 10:1 to
50:1. This is especially difficult at the high density of these
concentrates. The higher the density of the concentrate the
more difficult it is to upgrade and retain recovery.
The grade recovery curve of every ore type is different.
However there is generally a similarity in the front end of the
curve (massive sulphide mines excepted). In other words the
greater the mass recovered at the front end the greater the
chance of higher overall recovery.

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GRG

0%
0%

20%

40%

Yield

60%

80%

100%

FIGURE 4
Recovery yield curve for two different ores
Secondary Concentrate
The production of a concentrate is of no value unless the
product can be treated satisfactorily to achieve a worthwhile
outcome. The upgrading of concentrates to smeltable grade
has always presented problems. The recovery of free gold on
shaking tables has dominated the upgrade process.
The recovery range of a table is between 45 and 2000 um.
Below and above this range the recovery drops off rapidly. In
many cases this has been sufficient to give substantial benefit
to the producer. If one wishes to increase this benefit it is
necessary to firstly recover more gold into the primary
concentrate and then recover more gold from that concentrate.

FIGURE 5
Wilfley table with free gold and sulphide streams.

A.H. (Sandy) Gray.

Intensive Cyanidation And Its Implications For The Definition Of Gravity Recoverable Gold

Randol Gold & Silver Forum, Vancouver, Canada - May 2000.

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INTENSIVE CYANIDATION
In order to increase the recovery of gold from the
concentrate it is necessary to make a quantum leap. Past
adventures into pre-screening and re-cycling have proven
complicated and give only incremental benefit.
Intensive cyanidation has been used for many years Mather
and McLean, (1977)4 but has never been successfully
implemented in a commercial package. The typical intensive
cyanidation unit was always a limited batch device. This
usually consisted of an agitated vat of some description.
Problems of materials handling, poor recovery and long
residence time combined to limit the use of this technology.
Gekko Systems Pty Ltd. has developed the first
commercially successful intensive cyanidation unit - the
InLine Leach Reactor. The unit is a continuous high
throughput device, which is designed to handle concentrates,
which range from high tonnage, low-grade at about 50ppm up
to low tonnage high-grade concentrates. The unit can also be
operated in batch mode if required. The ILR and its
development has been reported by Gray and Katsikaros5 and
its commercial application reported by Lewis6, and Hillman7.

FIGURE 6
InLine Leach Reactor, Model ILR2000.

OVERALL BENEFITS
The use of intensive cyanidation and its extremely high
recoveries allows far greater primary concentrate yields to be
utilised.
Greater
recoveries.

concentrate

yield

means

higher

overall

Existing circuits using batch concentrators which

incorporate shaking tables to upgrade their concentrates will
gain immediate benefit by recovery of gold losses from the
table tails and hands free fully automated operation.

Hinde, A. L., Potgieter, M. L., Frankenhauser, R and Lamos,

A. W., (1983). Performance of Johnson Drums at President
Steyn. Research Report No. 23/83. Chamber of Mines of
South Africa, Johannesburg.
2
The Extractive Metallurgy of Gold in South Africa, Edited
by GG Stanley, Volume 2, SAIMM.
3
Richard Addison, (1980) Gold and Silver Extraction from
Sulfide Ores, Mining Congress Journal.
4
W.C Mather and J. McLean (1977). Cyanidation of Gravity
Concentrates at Welkom Gold Mine. Assoc. of Mine
Managers of S.A. 1976-1977, pp409-423.
5
Gray A.H., and Katsikaros N. (1999). The InLine Leach
Reactor The New Art in Intensive Cyanidation of High
Grade Centrifugal Gold Concentrates. Randol Gold and
Silver Forum, Denver, May 1999
6
Lewis, G (1999) The InLine Leach Reactor Increased
Recovery From Preg Robbing Gold Ore at Penjom Gold
Mine. Randol Gold and Silver Forum, Denver 99, May
1999.
7
Hillman C (1999), Kundana InLine Leach Reactor, Gravity
Gold Workshop, Darwin, October 1999.

The largest unit to date is capable of treating up to 5 tonnes

per hour of coarse concentrates. The smallest unit treats as
little as a few hundred kilograms per day.
Concentrates are leached under intense conditions with
high cyanide levels from 3000 ppm up to 50,000 ppm and
oxygen levels maintained above 15 ppm D.O. Typical leach
times range from 6 hours up to 24 hours. Overall average
recoveries are generally above 95% with some running at
greater than 99%.
The units are designed to be hands free fully automated
devices. High security and low maintenance are other major
benefits of the unit.

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A.H. (Sandy) Gray.

Intensive Cyanidation And Its Implications For The Definition Of Gravity Recoverable Gold