| Date | 2012 |
| Commodities | Silver, Gold |
Executive Summary
This technical report outlines the recovery methods for the El Gallo Complex Phase II Project, focusing on the extraction of silver and gold from the El Gallo and Palmarito materials. The process begins with a three-stage crushing circuit designed to reduce run-of-mine ore from its initial size down to 10 mm. This involves a primary jaw crusher, followed by secondary and tertiary crushers, ensuring the material is sufficiently sized for the subsequent grinding circuit.
The crushed material is ground in a ball mill circuit operating in closed loop with hydrocyclones to achieve a product size of 80% passing 74 microns. The ground slurry is then subjected to leaching in air-sparged agitated tanks using sodium cyanide. Following leaching, the slurry undergoes thickening and washing in counter-current decantation thickeners to recover dissolved precious metals. The final recovery of silver and gold is achieved through the Merrill-Crowe process, resulting in the production of silver-gold doré bars.
The tailings from the process are detoxified using sulfur and oxygen with a copper sulfate catalyst before being filtered and stored in an impoundment area. Water recycling is integrated throughout the process, utilizing process water, fresh water, and potable water streams to ensure efficient resource management and environmental compliance. Reagent storage and distribution systems are in place to manage chemicals such as sodium cyanide, lime, and zinc powder required for the operation.
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Report Date: 2012
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Commodity: Silver, Gold
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