IM 2016 August 2016 | Page 75

GOLD EXTRACTION_proof 19/07/2016 14:53 Page 6 GOLD EXTRACTION Connecting Global Competence Save money — register online: www.bauma-china.com/register Ekato COMBIJET cost-reducing effect with respect to the vessel design and supporting structures. November 22–25, Shanghai More refractory answers The Intec Process operates in the chloride medium to recover base and precious metals from mineral ores and concentrates in a cost effective and environmentally safe manner. Monument Mining last year completed construction of an Intec pilot plant and commissioned it at the Selinsing gold mine in Malaysia. The plant was built as a part of the Intec Trial Testing Program to exploit Intec’s sulphide dissolution and gold recovery technology using the existing Selinsing gold processing plant under the Interim Intec licence. An exclusive licence of Intec technology over southeast Asia will be granted upon success of the commercial Intec trial testing program. The design of the pilot plant circuit is based on the extensive first stage metallurgical and chemical laboratory test work completed by the in-house Monument research and development team, which has successfully demonstrated the technical ability of the Intec technology to dissolve sulphides and recover gold from the sulphide material on a bench scale test work program in the Selinsing laboratories. The purpose of the pilot plant trial testing work is to demonstrate two main aspects of the process; that the bench scale batch test work results can be duplicated in a continuous flow process and that the process can be successfully scaled-up. The Intec Process has been the focus of Monument’s effort to provide a technology that has the ability to process sulphide gold material economically at Selinsing – and potentially elsewhere. If successful it will extend the life of the project using the existing Selinsing process facility and infrastructure well into the future. Based on the Intec success in sulphide dissolution and gold recovery results, the test work program will then be extended to exploit Intec technology to sulphide copper and other base metals. Monument Mining says “the Intec Gold Process offers particular advantages for refractory or arsenical feedstocks. As example, where arsenic is present in a mineral concentrate (perhaps as arsenopyrite), the conventional roasting technologies become both potentially environmentally hazardous and expensive, due to the formation of volatile arsenic trioxide. By contrast, the Intec Process can leach the arsenopyrite to liberate the gold while leaving the arsenic behind as safe, environmentally stable ferric arsenate, an analogue to the naturally-occurring mineral scorodite. 8TH INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR FOR CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY, BUILDING MATERIAL MACHINES, MINING MACHINES AND CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES