Our consultants were engaged to complete the metallurgical, process design and infrastructure components of the mining study.
The Situation
This project involved treatment of a refractory sulphide deposit located in an environmentally sensitive area, the Páramo in the Andes.
Approach
Our consultants were engaged to complete the metallurgical, process design and infrastructure components of the mining study.
The processing options considered for pre-feasibility study (PFS) were:
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POX
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BIOX®
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Concentrate roast
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Concentrate UFG
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Leach.
The selected flowsheet included three-stage crushing, closed-circuit ball milling, sulphide flotation, tails and concentrate thickening, concentrate treatment by POX, leach and CIP, and flotation tailings treatment by CIL.
Common circuits include elution, acid wash, carbon regeneration, electrowinning, smelting and cyanide destruction by the INCO Process.
The PFS study also considered backfill production, the direct sale of concentrate and copper recovery.
