As the mining industry tackles declining ore grades and deeper deposits, new technologies that can decrease exploration risk, improve process efficiency and increase recoveries are quite literally worth their weight in gold. But moving technical innovation out of the lab and into the field relies on long-term relationships between research providers, commercialisation partners and industry champions.
Bill Staunton (left) and AngloGold Ashanti Tropicana metallurgists, Davidson Folly-Hans and Sandra Joubert with the second Carbon Scout prototype.
The relationship between AngloGold Ashanti, the third largest gold mining company in the world (measured by production) and Curtin University reaches back to the turn of the century, and has helped propel several mining technologies into the marketplace.
A seismic shift
In 2000, Professor Anton Kepic and Associate Professor Milovan Urosevic at Curtin University began adapting seismic techniques – previously only used in oil and gas exploration – for more complex hard rock mineralogy, initially for gold exploration. By 2009, more than 35 successful field trials and strong industry interest led Curtin to commercialise the technology through the establishment of HiSeis Pty Ltd.
AngloGold Ashanti Australia (AGAA) was a very early adopter of the technology, conducting a 3D seismic survey in 2014 at the Tropicana Gold Mine in Western Australia with a follow up extension survey in 2015.
The aim of the surveys was to provide information about the rocks and structures beneath the known mineralisation to a depth of 800m.
Interpretation of the seismic data has helped inform AGAA’s ongoing drilling program, and the strength of the relationship has seen HiSeis follow AngloGold Ashanti around the world.
HiSeis’ latest project, at AngloGold Ashanti’s Geita Gold Mine in Tanzania, is a 3D seismic program covering 20 square kilometres. Using seismic reflection to explore effectively at depth has the potential to play a vital role in the long-term future of the mine as the operation moves underground.
No carbon copy
AGAA’s relationship with Curtin has also been pivotal to the development of another mining technology, this one with the potential to improve gold recovery. The mining giant has been an industry sponsor of the long-running AMIRA P420 Gold Processing Technology Project since 1999, so when Curtin researchers Dr Bill Staunton and Dr Teresa McGrath were looking for a mine to test a new instrument to measure activated carbon concentration in gold leach tanks, they approached the team at AGAA’s Sunrise Dam Gold Mine in WA.
Operational trials of the ‘Carbon Scout’, a device to automate carbon measurement and management across a leach circuit, rapidly became a very collaborative project, with AGAA staff making many suggestions to refine its operation.
In due course, a second prototype was also trialled at Sunrise Dam.
The carbon measurement and management technology was licensed to Gekko Systems in 2016. Gekko is further productising the Carbon Scout to ensure the reliability, ruggedness and minimal maintenance needed for full commercialisation.
An advanced prototype was installed at AGAA’s Tropicana Gold Mine in September 2016, where it is being used to completely automate carbon management in the gold leach circuit. Having a fully automated system reduces manual labour for carbon sampling, reduces operator time on top of the leach tanks, and provides more regular and consistent data for carbon management. Long-term testing will determine the full extent of its impact on solution gold losses and overall recovery but early signs are positive.
Curtin University works on a variety of projects from early concept through to commercial ready. Enquiries from industry representatives and investors interested in partnering, investment, licensing and mentoring opportunities are always welcome.
Visit: research.curtin.edu.au/commercialisation
The relationship between AngloGold Ashanti and Curtin University reaches back to the turn of the century, and has helped propel several mining technologies into the marketplace.