Tag Archives: Gekko

Gekko Systems releases Mark 6 Carbon Scout sampling system for CIL, CIP plants

Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , ,

The team at Gekko Systems has announced the release of its next-gen Mark 6 Carbon Scout solution.

The Carbon Scout is a self-contained, ground-level sampling system that measures the pH, dissolved oxygen, slurry density and gold concentration in carbon-in-leach (CIL) and carbon-in-pulp (CIP) circuits. An important new feature is the optional X-ray Fluorescence sensor to measure gold on carbon for real-time gold circuit inventory.

The self-contained device collects slurry samples from CIL/CIP tanks to determine the concentration of the activated carbon in the pulp for each tank, to an accuracy of ±0.5 grams of carbon per litre of pulp, Gekko claims. The concentration levels are then used to automate carbon movement to optimise the carbon distribution.

Gekko said: “The Carbon Scout benefits sites by providing real-time data which allows operators to significantly reduce soluble gold loss from the circuit by providing advanced measurements ahead of any unwanted excursions. The Carbon Scout also allows for automation of the carbon movement, minimising exposure to hydrogen cyanide gas and reducing the need for manual handling of samples.”

Constructed from stainless steel, the ground-level system enhances operator efficiency by removing the need to undertake time consuming manual sampling and provides a single point sampling station to improve accuracy and increase safety, according to the company. The automation of carbon movement, meanwhile, increases the efficiency of the process, ensures carbon inventory set points are achieved and reduces the need for operator, metallurgist and other processing staff input.

Some of the sites to have installed the Carbon Scout solution include Gruyere in Western Australia (pictured above on the left with the Gekko OLGA on the right) and Ity in Cote d’Ivoire.

The solution was commercially released in 2017.

Classic Minerals enlists Gekko gravity unit for processing Kat Gap gold

Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , ,

Western Australia-focused gold exploration and development company Classic Minerals says it has secured a Gekko gold gravity processing plant to be used for future on-site processing of gold ore at its Kat Gap gold project.

Kat Gap, around 120 km southeast of Southern Cross, Western Australia, has an existing 93,000 oz JORC resource with strong exploration upside and scope for high grade open-pit mining, the company says.

Gekko is a leader in the manufacture of gold processing plant and machinery with its plants boasting small footprints and low environmental impact.

An added attraction to Classic is that the Australia-made Gekko plant is modular and mounted on containerised elements providing for scalability and ease of modification, it said. The plant has a 30 t/h capacity and is scalable to a Gekko Python plant (pictured) with a processing capacity of 250 t/h, Classic added.

“Also, the mobility associated with the modular construction enables Classic to locate the plant adjacent to the orebody, which further minimises cartage and processing costs,” it said.

Classic’s purchase is for a two-stage gravity concentration plant from Gekko, which will be provided fully refurbished to new condition. The two-part plant will form the basis of the processing facility to be set up and operated by Classic at Kat Gap.

The company said: “Classic is now on track to set-up, commission and test the Gekko plant and commence processing of the gold rich ore at Kat Gap. The Gekko plant is ideally suited to processing Kat Gap ore, which has a unique high gravity gold concentration. Classic will have the capability and capacity to commence production as soon as the mining approvals (MLA 74/249) have been granted.”

To provide an immediate revenue stream, Classic has also commenced negotiations to toll treat any initial parcels of ore from Kat Gap, while the full-scale plant is configured to suit Kat Gap ore, it added.

Africa first for Gekko’s Carbon Scout technology

Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining consumables, Precious metals, , , , , , , ,

Gekko Systems says Endeavour Mining’s Ity gold operation, in Cote d’Ivoire, has become the first mine in Africa to install a Gekko Carbon Scout.

The self-contained Carbon Scout device collects slurry samples from carbon-in-pulp (CIP) and carbon-in-leach (CIL) tanks to determine the distribution of the activated carbon in the pulp for each tank, to an accuracy of ± 0.5 grams of carbon per litre of pulp, according to Gekko.

Gekko, following a collaboration agreement signed with Curtin University for the development and commercialisation of a cutting-edge carbon management technology, went commercial with the technology in 2017. At that point, the company said the product promised to quickly become critical for gold process plant optimisation and for minimising soluble gold losses on tails.

By advancing the accuracy, regularity and consistency of sampling, the self-contained, ground-level unit will improve measurements in CIL and CIP circuits, Gekko said, adding that the Carbon Scout will also greatly improve the safety of operations by reducing operator exposure to cyanide and other hazards.

As recently as November, Endeavour announced it had completed a planned CIL plant expansion at Ity, upping capacity from 4 Mt/y to 5 Mt/y. This followed the commissioning of the 4 Mt/y plant in April 2019.

CSIRO and Gekko’s OLGA receiving good reception at Queensland gold mine

Metallurgy, Mineral exploration, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , ,

Field trials for the CSIRO-developed Online Gold Analyser (OLGA) are showing such positive results at a Queensland gold mine that the technology is expected to be ready for market this year, the research organisation reported recently.

OLGA is an X-ray fluorescence-based technology capable of detecting gold in slurry with around 1,000-times better accuracy than conventional methods – and in real time, according to CSIRO.#

The analyser, which will be available through technology and services company Gekko Systems, detects gold (and other elements) contained in a continuous process stream.

OLGA can detect gold in slurries at 10 parts per billion using a pair of X-ray lenses that greatly magnify the slurry’s fluorescent gold signal as it passes through a tank.

“Normally you take samples from a stream and send that sample to a laboratory,” CSIRO Research Group Leader, Yves Van Haarlem, said. “If you’re lucky the lab is onsite, but even then the turnaround time for analysis can be 10 to 12 hours. That’s probably too late to do something about it. With OLGA you can act on what you’re seeing almost immediately.”

Conventional X-ray Fluorescence is already a well-known tool in the base metals industry for the monitoring and control of concentration plants, but they tend to have less accurate detection limits – usually in the tens to hundreds of parts-per-million (ppm) range, precluding their use in precious metal concentrators, according to CSIRO.

Richard Goldberg, Gekko’s Head of Innovation and Collaboration, said that other means of detecting gold have been lacking in accuracy and/or the timely availability of results. “We’ve never had the ability to directly monitor gold flows through a plant in real time before,” Dr Goldberg said. “We know that gold grade can vary over relatively short periods and that it will do so between the samples taken as part of traditional process control regimes. As the results from those samples are also delayed, they are unlikely to accurately reflect the changes occurring in the process stream.”

Dr Goldberg said OLGA’s value stems from its ability to provide important information in near real time. In effect, the operators of a plant will no longer be blind to changes in its performance, according to CSIRO.

Andrew Dixon, Gekko’s Performance Consultant Manager, said the new system is proving its triple bottom line credentials. Economically OLGA allows the processing plant to be controlled to allow maximum efficiency of gold recovery, he said.

“This has environmental benefits as well. It will allow you to optimise reagent additions and to reduce any emissions from the plant that may have to be detoxified or treated to be made safe,” he said.

This means a plant will end up with less reagent chemicals in the tailings.

“It’s also more sustainable – the efficiency improvements will have an effect on the stability of the operation,” Dixon said. “A more stable gold processing operation is always going to be more efficient.”

Dr Goldberg said the reaction from gold mining companies that have seen OLGA work in laboratory conditions has been extremely positive and have seen considerable interest in the technology.

“We’re currently conducting field trials to ensure it’s a solid product before we fully release it to the market. To date, the trials have been extremely positive,” he said.

Dr Van Haarlem said Gekko has been the ideal partner for CSIRO on this technology. “Gekko engineered the whole structure around the analyser so that the slurry can be easily analysed, validation samples can easily be taken, and to provide the robustness required for plant installation,” he said.

OLGA is not just about detecting gold concentration. It’s about providing information, according to CSIRO.

“You could, for instance, put OLGA on the feed stream and one on the tailings,” Dr Van Haarlem said. “You could then look at what went in and what went out. If there’s too much gold in the tailings compared to the feed then the plant knows immediately that it’s losing gold. All this can then be acted upon.”

Dr Goldberg said there has been interest from potential buyers from as far away as Africa, Europe and South America. A fully supported product should be available for these regions later this year, CSIRO said.

Dr Van Haarlem said the X-ray optic system is now being tested on platinum and can be used for other metals. Its application could be much more widespread, such as for detecting toxic elements in food and water.

Yet, he believes OLGA’s future rests in its potential to revolutionise gold processing plant strategies and to refine logistics.

“It will provide a lot of data on real time gold and slurry density, which can then be correlated with other plant parameters,” he said. “It might turn out that if you don’t mill the ore sufficiently, gold recovery suffers. It’s going to show us correlations we didn’t even know were happening. This information can help us to optimise the entire production circuit.”