Viscosity Reduction of Gold Carbon in Pulp (CIP) Slurry

Borregaard performed a viscosity study to optimise throughput at a gold CIP plant.

Laboratory testing was conducted using the slurry supplied by the customer with and without the addition of Pionera L-625.

The slurry, adjusted with lime to pH 10.5, was prepared to generate samples of 32%, 34.5%, 35.8% and 37.7% solids which were used for the rheology testing. Prior to viscosity measurements, varying doses of Pionera L- 625 were added to the slurry samples and mixed for 2 minutes at 500 rpm with a mechanical mixer.

Evaluation of 32% Slurry Solids Viscosity Reduction: 

The target line of 32% in the graph below represents the slurry’s viscosity under current operating conditions. When Pionera L-625 (see table) was added to the 32% slurry, the viscosity was reduced.

 

Viscosity and % decrease related to L-625 dosage at slurry solids

Dosage (g/ton)

Viscosity (cP)

% Reduction

0

374

-

400

187

50

600

231

38

1000

206

45

 

Check availability and packaging

Key takeaways:

  • The study showed adding 400 gpt to the 34.5% solids gold ore slurry gave similar viscosity values to the 32% solids slurry in the plant. An increase in solids of 2.5% equals a throughput improvement of 8%. A rough calculation shows a bottom-line benefit of ca 11 Mill USD per year.
 

Viscosity measurements of gold CIP ore slurry at different solids and biopolymer dosages.

 

Estimate of additional gold production and its value

Throughput increase

 tph

Recovered Au per day

Difference/day

Pionera cost per day

Resulting value per day

Annualised benefit

 

                250

$514,469

                 

 

 

 

3%

                258

$529,903

$15,434

$7,500

$7,934

$2,644,694

8%

                270

$555,627

$41,157

$7,500

$33,657

$11,219,185

 

Contact me about pionera