Mining’s old guard needs strong medicine
A new report details subpar investor returns in the mining industry over the last decade, particularly big cap diversified companies which have not adapted to new realities.
YTC Resources recently placed an order with the Ballarat-based company, Gekko Systems, to design, build, install and commission a robust polymetallic plant to recover gold, silver, lead and zinc. YTC’s Hera gold-base metal deposit is situated approximately 100km south-east of Cobar and is hosted in Cobar Basin rocks. The region also boasts the mineral deposits at CSA, Peak Gold Mines and Endeavor.
Gekko’s world-class Technical Team worked closely with YTC management early in the conception stages to perform pre-concentration mineral recovery test work utilising continuous gravity and flotation, and a full feasibility study was undertaken in 2011.
“Gekko Systems has been able to provide YTC with an innovative flow sheet designed to achieve productivity with a strong focus on energy efficiency. We are pleased to be working with Gekko on this project and look forward to a successful outcome”, says Rimas Kairaitis, Managing Director, YTC Resources. The key energy efficient components of the plant is reduced power consumption through the use VSI tertiary crushers paired with a verti mill, as opposed to a traditional ball mill.
Designed to treat 50 tonnes of new mill feed per hour, Gekko’s modular design and construct model successfully achieves financial and productivity benefits. These benefits include lower capital cost per tonnes treated, faster delivery, installation and commissioning. Gekko’s experience and focus on pre-concentration flow sheets also enables a reduction in the plant footprint.
Major components of the plant design are:
• Three-stage crushing circuit and coarse grind to 250 micron using a Vertical Shaft Impactor (VSI)
• Gravity gold recovery circuit
• Rougher flotation at 250 micron before regrind of bulk flotation concentrate to 38 micron
• Cleaner flotation to upgrade bulk concentrate
• Cyanide leach of cleaner concentrate to leach gold and silver
• Merrill Crowe process to Au-Ag doré
• Leach residue filtration and stockpiling of Pb-Zn concentrate.
The YTC plant is an example of Gekko’s ability to provide a turnkey solution offering metallurgical testwork, flow sheet design, engineering, manufacturing, installation and commissioning. The project timeline is 68 weeks from design to commissioning, following which Gekko offers a range of service and support options.
Gekko is a one-stop shop specialising in niche capital and operating-efficient modular plants below 100 tonnes per hour with a particular focus on gold projects.
