Treating Small, Low Grade Gold Ores with the 'APT RD VAT'

Historically, ores less than about 3 g/t Au have not been viable to treat in classic mill and CIL circuits. Even though the recovery may have been very good, the revenue just wasn't sufficient to offset the capital, let alone generate an interesting return. APT has recently developed a revolutionary method that will enable a far lower capital investment combined with lower operating costs to then render these projects of interest.

The method combines the tried and proven VAT leach technology of old with APT's high energy crushing and impacting circuit to produce the feedstock for the VAT tanks. The breakthrough happens in that the APT High Energy RD impactor breaks the rock on the grain boundaries into granular, sand like material. In the process, this liberates any free gold that can be caught in APT’s highly effective GoldKacha. Very importantly, the sand particles now also include micro-fractures that enhance the penetration of cyanide in the VATs. The net result is a very high recovery in the VATs, fully approaching what would have been achieved in a conventional crush-ball mill-CIL system at a fraction of the cost. The pregnant solutions generated in the VAT's are then passed through CIS (Carbon In Solution) columns to adsorb the gold onto activated carbon and the loaded carbon is then eluted in an APT Elu-X carbon elution and electrowinning system, prior to a final smelt.

There are a number of distinct advantages in opting for the 'APT RD VAT' system:

1.   Testing. The Peacocke and Simpson laboratory based in Harare, Zimbabwe, can quickly and inexpensively test the amenability of your ore to the APT RD VAT system.

2.   You make the VAT tanks on site, in country, to our design - no import duties, lower cost.

3.   You get the tank and site layout plan, the building plans for the leach tanks, the clarifiers, preg pond, carbon handling pad, barren pond and makeup pond. You also get a full bill of quantities of what to buy in-country to build it all, like a kit. 

4.   Our layout is well thought out and ergonomic, allowing the use of tractor trailers and a back hoe for mechanising filling and emptying the leach tanks.

5.   APT supplies the high technology parts including the carbon column train, sealed solution pumps and Elu-X high efficiency elution, electrowinning and smelting.

6.   APT and Peacocke and Simpson backup to ensure optimisation going forward. Our associate analytical supplier can also provide you with an AA analyser plus accessories to set up your own monitoring laboratory.

 

Please reach out to us directly on info@aptprocessing.com for more information. We look forward to being of assistance.

APT: Quality from A-Z

APT has positioned itself as the go-to for high quality, well designed mineral processing plants; we believe, the best in the world. We have achieved this through decades of industry experience coupled with fresh insight and expert knowledge. From flowsheet formulation, detailed design, in-house manufacture right through to on site installation and commissioning, APT does it all.

With our lean team of experienced personnel, we are able to control the complete process from start to finish to ensure the delivered product surpasses what was envisioned.  In addition, before a project comes to fruition, APT’s engineers are able to assist and direct the testing of your ore in our associate ISO certified laboratory, Peacocke & Simpson, to ensure the efficacy of the proposed solution.

Here at APT we know what we are doing. We do it well, so that you as the customer can relax and look forward to your success. No project is too small, and you will be surprised at how little a proper solution can cost.

Please reach out to us directly on info@aptprocessing.com for more information on how to get started with your processing journey. We look forward to being of assistance.

APT Launches the MineralKacha

The APT MineralKacha was developed as an affordable means to recover heavy minerals such as cassiterite, tantalite, wolframite and chromite. The unit has a feed rate of up to 1tph per hour, and requires approximately 2 cubic metres per hour of water. 

To ensure the MineralKacha is suited to a range of different site conditions and terrains, it is available as both a stand-alone unit with electric motor, or as a ‘push-cart’ petrol powered version known as the MineralTrail.

With simplicity and effectiveness at the heart of all APT designs, the MineralTrail is no exception and is remarkably easy to operate. Material is fed with water onto a 2mm screen, which excludes any oversize and allows for larger nodules to be hand picked off the 2mm screen. The -2mm fraction gravitates into the rotating bowl within the machine, and liberated mineral particles are trapped within the bowl, whilst lighter tailings material exits over the top lip of the bowl and flows out of the unit. The feed and rotation are stopped periodically and the accumulated concentrates are flushed out the bottom of the bowl using a hose pipe. The process is then repeated with fresh feed.

 The MineralKacha first functions as a rougher for primary recovery of the heavy minerals. Once several batches of concentrates have been recovered, equivalent to approx. 100kg, these can be rerun through the unit for cleaning. The tailings from this cleaner cycle can also be refed into the unit during the next rougher cycle. For lower grade minerals such as cassiterite or tantalite where a smaller volume of the target is expected, the cleaner concentrates may be finished by hand jigging or panning.

Please reach out to us directly on info@aptprocessing.com for more information on the MineralKacha and MineralTrail. Small scale recovery of heavy minerals has never been easier or more accessible!

Oxide Copper/Lithium Plant to View

APT has just completed a small scale oxide copper/spodumene upgrade plant which is available to view at our North Riding factory right now. The plant is soon to be delivered so please pop in as soon as possible. Meetings can also be scheduled via info@aptprocessing.com.

Also on view is our TriTank TT40 plant, an Elu-X 270 elution unit (in manufacture) and a 3tph alluvial/smelting trailer plant.

We look forward to hosting you at our facilities at 218 New Market Road, North Riding, Johannesburg, 2162, South Africa.

As Good As Gold

As the saying goes, gold holds a unique place amongst the minerals mined in that it commands a high price. Not only is its value important, but also the fact that there is a never-ending demand for gold, so it is easily sold for hard currency. The product is easy to carry, you don't need trucks, just pop it in your pocket and head to market.

Gold is rare, but it also occurs in enriched pockets or veins close to surface so the mining of the ore is within the realm of artisanals and small mining operations.

Various pieces of processing equipment have been developed over the years such as the wet pan mill, but they all suffer from the same fatal flaw - they use mercury which not only harms the environment but the miners too, who can die from it.

In history past there was no alternative, until APT’s revolutionary picking compound, GoldFix, was developed. For the first time, miners can now get gold in their hand without using mercury. Not only is GoldFix non-toxic, but the complete process of the APT RDGK Hard Rock Plant is far quicker and more efficient too. The plant also has the added advantage in that it is continuous. Once a batch of material has been crushed, it is discharged out of the machine, leaving the crusher clean and ready for more material.

 The smallest APT RDGK Hard Rock Plant is the 500kg/hr RDGK5, including the RD5 Impact Crusher, the famous GoldKacha Mini, the GoldGrader Concentrates Upgrader and a GoldFix Kit. The complete plant costs approximately US$8,500. Assuming a gold price of US$75 per gram and ore of 5 grams per tonne recovery, this plant will generate a revenue of about US$1,500 per day for a payback of a few weeks.

 It sounds too good to be true, but it is real, already in production, and improving people's lives.

Especially For Geologists

Every geologist knows that the larger the sample you take the more accurate the result. However, taking large samples isn't easy, and not every laboratory is equipped to deal with them.

Enter the APT range of Field Exploration Plants. Starting with the RG30 Scrubber to easily treat 1 tonne batches of even the stickiest clay and recover approximately 10kg of concentrates via the downstream GoldKacha centrifugal concentrator. The recovered concentrates can then be further upgraded at the base camp over an ST80 Shaking Table for gold targets, or over an MT350 Shaking Table for bulk minerals. 

For the oversize rock content discarded from the RG30 Scrubber, or for fresh underground rock, the new RD5 Impact Crusher with the GoldKacha Mini will process up to 500kg/hr, producing a P80 of around 500 microns and recovering approximately 3kg of concentrates. Again these recovered concentrates can be further upgraded at the base camp.

All of the above mentioned modules are available as either skid mounted, or trailer mounted making it easier to reach your target area.

Small Scale Multi-Mineral Tabling Plants

APT's range of multi-mineral tabling plants have proven to be a huge breakthrough for the recovery of minerals containing copper, cobalt, tin, tantalite, tungsten, lead, lithium and more. The gravity process is simple and much more affordable than complex flotation methods, allowing you to start recovering your mineral at a relatively low capital cost.

The design as a whole is ergonomic, with the plants intended to be installed on a terraced site to ensure ease of feed into the crushers, and to utilise gravity transfer of the product as far as possible. The crushing module makes use of an APT RD impact crusher, designed as an early liberation unit using high energy input to fracture the host rock along the grain boundary, liberating the mineral whilst avoiding over-grinding. The crushed product is then concentrated over a robust and high quality shaking table, in order to achieve the highest gravity recovery possible.

APT’s multi-mineral tabling plants are available with throughputs of 350kg/hr, 1tph, 5tph and 10tph.

Cheap is Expensive

Everyone has a budget; they have to choose what they can afford for their mine. The problem that arises all too often is clients will approach us after having spent their money elsewhere on something that was far too big and far too cheap.

Cheap equipment that does not work properly is a total loss of the money spent. 

Why is this so?

1.      Bad manufacturing quality

Thin steel, weak welds, weak bearings, bad motors. These all result in inevitable failure of the equipment.

2.      Bad equipment design

The equipment leaks resulting in loss of your gold.

The scrubbing mechanism does not break up clay properly to liberate the gold.

The crushing mechanism does not grind fine enough to liberate the gold.

The equipment does not achieve the tonnage specified.

3.      Poor recovery

The gold recovery isn't high enough.

There is gold escaping in the tailings.

4.      Not safe

The equipment does not include belt guards leaving the moving parts exposed to the operator.

It is necessary to use mercury which is hazardous to humans and the environment.

 

Rather than waste your money on cheap but useless equipment, it is better to invest that budget into smaller but higher quality units from APT that will last and do the job properly, allowing you to generate a consistent profit to invest into the next step up.

QUALITY = SUCCESS    

cheap = failure

APT's Contribution Towards the Ariab Mining Project

At the Dubai Mining Show we were honoured to have been mentioned for our contribution towards the Ariab project! The project began with metallurgical testing by APT to find an optimal treatment route for this difficult ore. In conjunction with Ariab’s own metallurgists a flowsheet was formulated to overcome the challenges, after which APT designed and built a plant to achieve the desired result. APT also installed the plant and commissioned it. The process guarantee for the plant was a high bar of 93% gold recovery, and that was not only achieved, but exceeded. The salient details were a throughput of 35tph with a CIL residence time of 24 hr at a grind of P80 75 microns. Pressurised elution and carbon regeneration were included in the package, along with a cyanide destruct module. The installation was a success because it incorporated leading edge technology at every step, especially the extremely efficient mixing resulting from APT’s proprietary and patented TriTank system.