Core Resources has successfully delivered a SART (Sulphidisation, Acidification, Recycling, and Thickening) plant at the White Dam Gold Operation in South Australia. This project, undertaken in collaboration with GBM Resources and Round Oak Minerals, aims to enhance metal recovery and reduce cyanide consumption, thereby improving the sustainability of gold operations.

The White Dam site, having completed mining activities, is currently focused on heap leaching residual metals. However, high copper concentrations have been impacting gold leaching efficiency and escalating cyanide costs. To address these challenges, Core designed and implemented a low-capital SART plant to extract copper and gold from process liquors, significantly reducing cyanide usage and facilitating more effective site rehabilitation.

Key benefits of the SART plant include:

• Reduction in cyanide consumption, enhancing residual gold recovery
• Removal of cyanide and copper from process streams, enabling quicker and more effective shutdowns
• Improved extraction of residual gold and copper from heaps
• Potential economic recovery of additional copper and gold resources from regional sources

Construction of the SART plant was completed with minimal delays, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Staged commissioning commenced over a three-week period, during which plant circuits were progressively completed. The plant has since achieved continuous operation, with reagent additions and the production of the first copper sulphide concentrate. The gold leaching and SART plant are targeted to reach steady-state operations during the current quarter.

This project exemplifies Core Resources’ commitment to delivering innovative metallurgical solutions that enhance operational efficiency and environmental sustainability in the mining industry.

Please see GBM Resources’ latest press release on the successful start-up of the SART plant.

Want more information on the SART technology? Contact us at [email protected].