Challenges
The world's gold production has changed over the past 30 years.The exploration and discovery of large, free-milling gold deposits in major mining districts has declined. Mining companies face a difficult decision. Do they process large, low-grade deposits or look for smaller, often more complex ones in remote, often hard-to-reach locations? To complicate matters further, these ore bodies are often refractory, where the gold is locked within sulphide minerals; or double refractory, in which gold is locked within sulphide minerals and preg-robbing due to the presence of organic carbon. These must be pretreated ahead of leaching.
In recent years, the industry has adjusted its mining methods from those needed for high-grade underground deposits to those for low-grade, open-pit, polymetallic deposits. Meanwhile, large free-milling gold operations are seeing their deposits become more refractory.
Between the size and complexity of the ore bodies and the remote locations, mining companies now need a better understanding of the mineralogy and benefits of different extraction options. Today, they're opting to reduce spending on the development of new mineral deposits. They're focusing their investments on optimizing existing mines and production facilities. We can help.