The 0.5 g/ tonne ore body puts a lot of potential (retail especially) investors off. There is not much focus on Heap Leaching in Western Australia, due I suppose to the prevalence of hard ores. Once up and running, provided the open pit ore is of the correct porosity, it can be a long term, low asic, low risk money machine, provided that the ore type has been correctly identified
Comparison: Albion Process vs Heap Leaching forGold Extraction Albion ProcessOre Type: Best suited for refractory/double refractory gold ores (sulphide ores where gold is trappedwithin sulphide minerals) Particularly effective for arsenopyrite and pyrite-rich ores that resist conventional cyanidationWorks well with high-sulfphur content ores Energy Requirements:High energy consumption due to ultrafine grinding and oxygen injectionPower needed for agitation in oxidation tanks and air compressorsAdditional energy for heating required in some implementations Labour Requirements:Moderate to high skilled labor neededRequires technical specialists for operation and monitoring of pressure oxidation vesselsMore demanding maintenance requirements for grinding equipment Chemical Costs:Moderate to high chemical costsRequires oxygen generation/injectionUses lime for pH controlLower cyanide consumption compared to direct leaching of refractory oresPotential need for specialised surfactants and flocculants
Heap LeachingOre Type: Best suited for low-grade, non-refractory oxide oresTypically gold ores with grades of 0.5-1.5 g/tLess effective for sulphide or clayey oresRequires reasonably permeable ore after crushing Energy Requirements:Low energy consumption overallEnergy mainly used for crushing/agglomeration and solution pumpingNo heating or pressurization requiredGravity-based system for solution flow reduces energy needs Labour Requirements:Lower skilled labor requirementsLess technical expertise needed for daily operationsPeriodic pad construction and closure requires temporary labour increases Chemical Costs:Generally lower chemical costsPrimary chemical is cyanide solutionLime for pH adjustmentOccasional use of additives to improve percolationHigher overall cyanide consumption per ounce of gold recovered
STN Price at posting:
28.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
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