Modern Mining October 2017

GOLD

the investment we’ve made in the mine’s pro- cessing facilities. During the year, Kilimapesa produced 3 408 ounces of gold but in the final quarter the annualised rate of produc- tion was approximately 5 800 ounces,” says Kisbey-Green. At the heart of the Goldplat operation is Goldplat Recovery Ltd, South Africa (GPL), based on a 22 ha property in the Benoni area near the centre of the East Rand goldfield. GPL – which accounts for about two thirds of Goldplat’s revenue – specialises in the recovery of gold (and other metals such as silver and, potentially, PGMs) from the by-products of the mining process including woodchips, mill liners, fine carbon, slags, sludges and waste grease. To achieve this, it employs a variety of processes including roasting in a rotary kiln, spiralling and shot-blasting, crushing, milling, thickening, flotation, gravity concentration, leaching, CIL and elution. “This is a very specialised field and we have very few competitors as there are high barriers to entry,” says Kisbey-Green. “The key is hav- ing not just the right equipment but also the right people as metal recovery of the type we do is as much an art as a science. The challenge is to blend the raw materials and route them to the right processes to ensure maximum extrac- tion at least cost. Some of our employees have

been with us for many years and their experi- ence is critical to our success.” GPL ranks all the gold majors in South Africa (with one exception) among its clients. “Despite our solid client base, the sourcing of material is increasingly challenging,” says Kisbey-Green. “With the mining industry under pressure, production has declined and this inevitably impacts on the availability of by- product material. “We believe that the ‘base’ production level we can achieve in the present market from traditional South African sources is around 22 000 ounces of gold and gold equivalents whereas our target is roughly 29 000 ounces a year. To achieve this, we need at least one large by-product project a year from non-traditional sources. This we’ve been able to do. In FY 2017, for example, we received a big consignment of carbon from an African producer.” He adds that changing market dynamics have resulted in a situation where GPL’s CIL circuits now offer the best profitability for the business. “The focus is now on making sure that we keep these circuits busy,” he says. Goldplat’s South African operation is com- plemented by Gold Recovery Ghana Ltd (GRG), which is based in the free port of Tema in Ghana. Processing facilities include a spiral- ling section, filter presses, an incinerator and a shotblast facility. Concentrates produced are exported either to GPL or to one of the group’s refinery partners. During FY 2017, GRG pro- duced 10 031 ounces of gold (compared to 6 883 in FY 2016). Says Kisbey-Green: “GRG is substantially smaller than the South African operation and it has had to contend with the fact that – for

GPL commissioned a new CIL plant for tailings retreat- ment in 2013.

“This is a very specialised field and we have very few competitors as there are high barriers to entry.”

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