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Case Study: Carbonaceous Tailings, Noche Buena Mine, Mexico
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Traditional Cyanide leaching on Noche Buena tailings only provided 23% recovery of Silver and 0% Gold recovery. The ore contains preg-robbing carbonaceous material that will be subject to pretreatment using oxidative methods, carbon deactivation or a combination thereof prior to cyanidation. Recovery of Silver and Gold will be optimized up to 90+% and 92%+, respectively. Cyanide will be recovered in process for reuse.
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Noche Buena Mine & Tailings Site
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Process for the Extraction & Recovery of Precious Metals
Stage One: Initial Assessment of Mineral Properties
Initial assessment of the Noche Buena Tailings has been completed. These tests indicate that there is significant gold and silver present but given its form of mineralization, production will be extremely limited without the introduction of DiaKhem technology.
Stage Two: Pretreatment Analysis
The most common causes of refractory behavior in ores were not present in tests of the Noche Buena Tailings. Destruction of the materials specified above by traditional hydrometallurgy did not serve to increase the amount of leachable gold. Different chemistries were evaluated for each targeted refractory cause and all indications were that materials targeted were neutralized. However, the results showed that they were not the cause of the poor extraction efficiency of gold by cyanide; the opportunity remains for DiaKhem technology to unlock the value of the ore.
Stage Three: Process Selection and Small-Scale Operation
DiaKhem synthesized solutions of a simple chemical composition that were successful at liberating gold from the Tailings and into solution. In fact, there were a number of chemistries that had the desired effect of breaking down a specific target matrix. As a result, the current understanding is that gold is encapsulated in specific materials within this ore matrix. (In Progress)
Stage Four: Pilot-Scale Operation
Scale up the reactors to an intermediate size and locate on-site. DiaKhem personnel will be on-site to carry out the pilot runs. Quantify economic costs of unit operations and various aspects of the process. Determine expected gross and net profit given different scenarios: rational increase or decrease of gold prices, variation in gold content in feed.
Stage Five: Full-Scale Operation
Assemble plant infrastructure and conduct trial runs in order to trouble shoot. Verify that the process is closed-loop with respect to the environment and that waste streams meet and exceed requirements set by local regulations. Begin low-level production and analyze system performance, adjusting and optimizing appropriate parameters. Begin full-scale production.
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Case Study: Future Opportunities, Abandoned Mines, Ontario, Canada
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Abandoned Mines in Ontario, Canada
"There are approximately 5,600 abandoned mine sites in Ontario. Approximately 30-40% of these sites have been reverted to the Crown. These sites range in magnitude from single, shallow mine shafts and deep trenches or pits, to mines that have produced millions of tons of ore."
Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Province of Ontario
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Abandoned Mine and Tailings Site, Eastern Ontario
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Case Study: Future Opportunities, Guyana
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Small- and Medium-Scale Gold Mining in Guyana: From Policy to Plan
View full paper here - The Dangers of Rogue Mining in Eco-Sensitive Guyana
Candice Ramessar, MSc, Researcher and Private Consultant, Guyana
Mel Cabey, Diazem Corporation, Midland, Michigan, USA
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Chemical waste containers from mining operations in Guyana waterways
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"In Guyana as well as all developing nations with rich mineral reserves, what is needed is strong collaboration between policy makers, regulatory watch dogs and policy enforcers. Developing nations cannot continue to balance short-term economic subsistence against long-term survival. They should not have to choose between gold today and water and a place to live tomorrow."
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Opportunity
"Guyana's forests and waterways are under threat from the activity of small and medium scale gold mining...these mines dot the interior landscape and damage river and forest systems through pollution, sedimentation and deforestation..."
Environmental Impacts
"Mercury is used almost exclusively by smaller scale mines to bind and serperate gold and is an obvious example of pollution from mining"
"Smaller scale mining generates an enormous amount of waste that, through surface runoff, finds its way into rivers, causing heavy sedimentation and siltation"
Through DiaKhem Technologies and Resin, mining operations can address water purification and filtration issues specific to their industry while recovering precious metals; thereby imparting a minimal impact through strong environmental remediation.
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