Sukari Gold Mine: Optimized Recovery Methods at 12.5Mtpa

Source: Unnamed_Company_43 (2026)
Website: https://www.anglogoldashanti.com/portfolio/africa/sukari-egypt/

Critical Data

Overview

AngloGold Ashanti operates the Sukari Gold Mine, Egypt’s largest and oldest modern gold producer, located in the Eastern Desert near Marsa Alam. The processing plant was commissioned in 2009 and has undergone multiple expansions to reach a nominal throughput of 12 Mtpa, with a life-of-mine (LOM) plan targeting 12.5 Mtpa. This facility is significant as it processes a blend of oxide and sulphide ores from both open pit and underground sources, achieving an average gold recovery of 89% from a head grade of 1.17 g/t. The recovery methods include two parallel crushing and milling circuits, flotation of sulphide concentrates, regrinding to 10 µm, and carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuits. Additionally, two dump leach operations treat low-grade waste (0.25–0.50 g/t gold) to offset mine waste transportation costs. The integrated process ensures high gold extraction from higher-grade underground ore (3.14 g/t) through dedicated Line #1 processing, while lower-grade open pit ore is handled by Line #2. Key innovations include the use of automatic flotation control, oxygen sparging in CIL, and a third dump leach under construction to minimize stockpiling. With a 10-year LOM and ongoing improvements, Sukari remains a cornerstone of gold production in Egypt.

Key Process Stages

• Stage 1: Crushing and Ore Storage – Two independent circuits handle feed. Line #1 uses a 1,372mm x 1,880mm primary gyratory and an open-circuit Sandvik CH870 secondary cone crusher for higher-grade blend (underground + open pit). Line #2 uses a 1,397mm x 2,108mm primary gyratory, scalping screens, and three Sandvik CH870 secondary crushers for lower-grade open pit ore. Crushed product is fed to two stockpiles with 15,000t live capacity each. Total designed capacity is 15 Mtpa to a P80 of 40 mm. Crusher circuit availability is 87% with 68% utilisation.
• Stage 2: Milling – Line #1 comprises a 8.32m Ø × 3.81m EGL SAG mill (5,593 kW fixed speed) and two ball mills (4.85m Ø × 9.14m EGL, 4,100 kW each). Pebbles are crushed by a Metso HP500 cone crusher. Line #2 has a 8.54m Ø × 4.65m EGL SAG mill (7,000 kW variable speed) and a ball mill (6.10m Ø × 9.62m EGL, 7,000 kW fixed speed) with two FLSmidth Raptor XL300 pebble crushers. Combined flotation feed is ~12 Mtpa at P80 of 150 µm (Line #1) and 200 µm (Line #2). Grinding media: 125 mm for SAG, 80/60 mm for ball mills.
• Stage 3: Flotation – Two rougher circuits. Line #1 has four 100 m³ rougher cells and two 100 m³ scavenger cells; concentrate goes to thickener, scavenger concentrate recycled. Line #2 has six 130 m³ rougher cells (no scavenger). Concentrate from both reports to respective thickeners, then regrind. Tailings from Line #1 thickener goes to float tail CIL for additional gold recovery from higher-grade underground ore; Line #2 tailings go directly to TSF. Flotation uses potassium amyl xanthate collector with copper sulphate activator and secondary collector sodium di-isobutyl dithiophosphate. Sulphide recovery is 88–89% at natural pH ~8.0.
• Stage 4: Regrind – Concentrate thickener underflow is pumped to surge tanks then to regrind circuit. The circuit consists of eight Metso SMD355 stirred media detritors (four primary, four secondary in series pairs). An older Metso VTM1250 Vertimill is on standby. Feed P80 is 25 µm; final product averages P80 of 10 µm (P50 ~5 µm). Ceramic media is recovered via a media recovery screen. The regrind target was reduced from 12 µm to 10 µm based on testwork balancing gold recovery and energy.
• Stage 5: Leach and Carbon-in-Leach (CIL) – Two CIL circuits. Float concentrate CIL: reground slurry (10 µm) is pre-oxidised with slaked lime (pH 10.2) and oxygen in five 288 m³ tanks, then leached with cyanide in two 3,000 m³ and five smaller CIL tanks (total residence time ~36 hours). Oxygen supplied from cryogenic plant and trucked liquid O₂; sparged at 15–20 ppm DO. Float tail CIL: Line #1 thickened flotation tails are leached in six 3,000 m³ tanks at pH 9.9 with oxygen side sparging. Carbon is moved counter-currently. Loaded carbon is recovered for elution. Gold recovery from the combined circuits averages 89%.

Additional Interesting Data and Summary

Beyond the core CIL and flotation circuits, the Sukari processing facility integrates several complementary recovery methods. Dump leaching has been operational since the mine’s start, treating low-grade waste with grades typically 0.25–0.50 g/t gold. The South dump leach (16 Mt stacked) is essentially complete but continues leaching, while the North dump leach was extended in 2024 to process an additional 8.3 Mt of fresh ore. The North leach uses 15–30 ppm cyanide irrigation with a carbon-in-column plant expanded from 8 to 26 columns and reticulation increased to nearly 600 m³/h. A third dump leach is under construction to further minimise stockpiling. Additionally, gold is recovered from fine carbon via an ashing plant equipped with a new Holman shaking table for grit separation, and from tailings dam return solution through a carbon-in-column plant. The elution circuit uses two parallel 9t Zadra circuits (each processing two batches per day) and a smaller 3t column. Loaded carbon averages 1 kg/t gold. Carbon regeneration is handled by two kilns at 1.5 tph throughput, with a new kiln replacing an older one. The gold room smelts electrowon concentrate into bars using diesel-fired furnaces. From an economic perspective, the dump leach operations effectively cover mine waste transportation costs, making even low-grade stockpiles value-generating. Future outlook includes a third dump leach to reduce stockpiling and a 10-year LOM with average head grade of 1.17 g/t. Sustainability initiatives are not detailed in this section, but the plant’s continuous debottlenecking – such as converting pre-oxidation tanks and commissioning an Aachen shear reactor – demonstrates a commitment to improving leaching kinetics and reducing cyanide consumption. The Sukari Gold Mine remains a vital asset for AngloGold Ashanti, showcasing integrated recovery methods that maximise gold extraction from complex ores while managing operational costs through dump leaching.

Key Processes: Flotation, CIP/CIL, Heap Leaching, Cyanidation, Gravity Separation, SAG Mill, Ball Mill, Crushing

Target Commodities: Gold, Copper, Zinc