Boddington Mine in Australia processes large volumes of gold and copper ore using conventional milling and flotation techniques. The processing plant starts with primary crushing, followed by grinding in a SAG mill and ball mill circuit. Gold is recovered through a flotation circuit, and the flotation tailings are subjected to cyanide leaching for further gold extraction. The concentrate is further refined before shipment, and waste materials are detoxified to meet environmental standards. Boddington’s circuit is optimized for high throughput and recovery rates.
Technical report and processing history
The following archived source profiles have been consolidated here to preserve the project’s processing history and study context.
Boddington Operations — 2019 Technical Report
Boddington Operations — 2019 Technical Report
| Company | Newmont Boddington Gold |
| Date | 2019 |
| Region | Western Australia |
| Commodities | Gold, Copper |
Executive Summary
The 2019 Technical Report for Boddington Operations outlines the recovery methods and plant performance for the gold and copper mining project in Western Australia. The facility operates as an open-pit mine with a processing plant designed for high throughput, achieving an average mill utilization of 88.4% in 2018. The process flow sheet includes primary gyratory crushing, secondary cone crushing, and tertiary HPGR crushing, followed by ball milling and hydrocyclone classification.
Gold and copper recovery is achieved through a combination of flotation and leaching circuits. The flotation circuit produces a copper-gold concentrate for export, while scavenger tailings are treated in a Carbon-in-Leach (CIL) circuit. The plant design incorporates significant equipment upgrades, including HPGRs and Vertimills for regrind, to optimize throughput and grind size. Production data from 2018 indicates a throughput of approximately 40.2 million tonnes milled with gold recovery averaging 83.4% and copper recovery at 79.8%.
The report details the operational status of various circuits, noting that the flash flotation facility is currently not operating due to water balance issues. Cyanide destruction is managed via a Caro’s acid plant to maintain safe levels in decant water and residue. The overall process is considered appropriate for supporting Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves estimation, with ongoing optimization efforts focused on improving mill utilization and recovery factors.
Website: https://operations.newmont.com/australia/boddington
Report Date: 2019
Region: Western Australia
Project Status:
Commodity: Gold, Copper
Throughput:
Mine Life:
Mine Type:
Ore type:
