Modern Mining June 2021

COVER STORY

Elsewhere, the MACH REACTOR came to the res- cue of a Ghanaian gold company that needed capital to build extra leach tanks. The company didn’t nec- essarily have the money to put in the required extra leach tanks. “We retrofitted the MACH onto their existing plant some four years ago. The faster leach kinetics provided by the technology not only obvi- ated the need for extra leach tanks but also provided a recovery benefit to boot. To this day, they have not installed any additional leach tanks,” says Singh. In conclusion, Singh says, with this ‘Proudly South African’ product, Gold Ore is only scratching the sur- face of what is possible. What’s stopping its quick uptake is not the application or ability to prove what it can do, but the mindset in the industry. “People are referring back to what they knew in the year 2000 and are drawing comparisons with something that they haven’t tried yet. Technology has moved on. I always say that the MACH REACTOR is the ‘Tesla’ of the mining industry. It is at the fore- front of the metallurgical revolution,” concludes Singh. 

Additionally, no wear parts have been replaced. In fact, the technology is designed to match project life. “The MACH REACTOR is a plug-and-play unit, you put it in and off you go. With no moving parts, it doesn’t need any maintenance, which translates into huge cost savings for mines,” he says. Higher recoveries are almost always guaranteed with the MACH REACTOR. “At the end of the day, gold mines, and mining operations in general, are there to show profit to shareholders. While they may not necessarily understand anything about pico-bub- bles or cavitation, one thing every business person understands is profit, and that’s where we make a difference with the MACH – it goes directly to the bottom line. We improve recoveries, translating into extra ounces. Extra ounces mean more revenue and ultimately better profits,” says Singh. Flagship projects While the benefits of this technology have been proven and are there for all to see, Singh says the mining sector has generally been sceptical of try- ing new ways of working. At the end of the day, the majority of customers that have opted for the MACH REACTOR were companies that “had their backs against the wall”. For example, the MACH REACTOR literally kept a company that was retreating PGM tailings in business. Having had no success with a variety of technologies, this company was on the verge of closure. “They basically told me the first day we met that they had tried everything else and nothing worked. If the MACH didn’t work, they would have to close shop,” he says. “We did extensive test work in the laboratory and eventually installed the MACH REACTOR throughout the plant and the company is still in business today,” adds Singh.

Key takeaways  The MACH REACTOR is a game-changing technology that harnesses the power of cavitation, permitting certain chemical reactions that would oth- erwise not be possible  The MACH REACTOR is the only high shear/cavitating device currently on the market that is completely self-aspirating, allowing it to be operated without pressurised gas supply  The self-aspirating aspect, combined with the comparatively lower power draw, makes it particularly suitable for projects where power costs are high, or where power is self-generated  The technology can be deployed across applications, including PGMs, gold, base metals, as well as for environmental applications such as cya- nide destruction and acid mine drainage

June 2021  MODERN MINING  15