BANKABLE METALLURGICAL TESTING
ACHIEVING IMPROVED PROCESSING AT THE ILOVICA PROJECT
GLOBAL NETWORK
SGS offers a very broad range of valueadded solutions , which reduce risk , enhance value and maximise returns at each step of the mining value chain . With over 70 years of experience and a truly global presence , SGS has earned the reputation as the leading supplier of proven , technologically advanced metallurgical services . From metallurgical laboratories located on six continents , SGS provides the optimal , environmentally sustainable flowsheet for mining operations around the world .
LOCAL EXPERTISE
The expert team at the SGS metallurgical laboratory in Cornwall , UK completed a successful Preliminary Economic Assessment for Euromax Resources ‘ Ilovica project in 2012 . As development of the metallurgy continued , there was a need to adjust the flowsheet and SGS continued work on the project through the Pre-Feasibility and Definitive Feasibility phases .
The principal technical services that SGS focused on for the project included :
• Float optimisation
• Leach optimisation
• Tailings management
• Cyanide destruction
• Comminution circuit sizing
• Pilot plant testing
• Geometallurgy
Around fifty-six rougher and cleaner kinetic flotation tests were conducted on a master composite to optimise conditions . Using the optimised conditions , a flotation test was conducted on each of the fourty variability domains to determine metallurgical response . Nine locked cycle tests were conducted on different composites from the deposit to determine the copper and gold recoveries before a pilot plant was conducted to generate leach feed .
Having worked on several similar projects in the same region , the SGS team identified similar challenges arising between projects , however ; on Ilovica the value streams were added through leach optimisation . The leach feed stream represented only a small fraction of plant feed . To minimise cost and time delay a pilot plant was used to generate material while providing useful scalability information on the flotation process at the same time . The bulk of the leach optimisation work was then performed using standard bottle roll tests .
SGS tested a range of variables including pulp density , cyanide dosage , controlled DO2 content , Lead Nitrate dosage , and pre-oxygenation time . Once the leach stage had been optimised carbon equilibrium isotherms were provided and the data was used to select a carbon addition rate for subsequent carbon kinetic loading tests .
Based upon given preferences for the circuit configuration , SGS then used previously generated kinetic data to provide computer simulation of the requested CIL circuit providing ;
• Tank sizes
• Number of tanks
• Pulp
• Carbon retention times
• Predictions of loaded carbon values
SGS provided geometallurgical information on the deposit through the testing of variability samples with respect to comminution , flotation and leaching data . This allowed mapping of the metallurgical response of the deposit and provided the opportunity to optimise mine planning with consideration of this data . In addition , 80 th percentile grindability data was then used to design an Autogenous grinding circuit using JKSimMet™ software .
TRUSTED EXPERTISE
SGS ‘ s demonstrated success in metallurgical and process design has provided thousands of companies with effective flowsheets and practical technical solutions to processing problems . From that core capability , we continue to provide the processing industry with innovative approaches to geometallurgy , process modeling , production forecasting and processing optimisation .
minerals . cornwall @ sgs . com www . sgs . com / mining