A new technology
that delivers commercial-scale, cyanide-free gold processing has been released
by Australian-based company Clean Mining.
The process replaces
cyanide with a safer, less hazardous chemical reagent called thiosulphate. This
inorganic compound helps dissolve fine gold out of ores into a solution, which
can then be recovered through further processing.
The new technology
was developed over more than a decade by Australia’s national science agency,
CSIRO, and trialed in Australia in 2018 with Clean Mining’s parent company –
Eco Minerals Research Limited. This trial proved the thiosulphate solution
could extract gold from ore at an industrial scale.
Following this Clean
Mining negotiated exclusive rights to sell and distribute new cyanide-free gold
processing technology worldwide.
Clean Mining’s
managing director Jeff McCulloch said the deal now allows Clean Mining to
launch the new technology solution and begin its global sales and distribution
program.
“The world has been
waiting for a cost-effective, non-toxic solution to gold processing and Clean
Mining now offers that solution,” McCulloch said in a statement.
About 75% of gold
extracted from ore is currently processed using cyanide or mercury, which are
toxic to humans and the environment.
These chemicals are
often contained in large storage tanks and, once used, expelled into large
tailing dams that can potentially leach into the local surroundings.
“Eliminating cyanide
and the associated tailing dams from the gold recovery process is a
game-changer for the sector and, importantly, for the communities where gold
miners operate,” Mr McCulloch said.
Clean Mining will
initially target small to mid-scale miners who can benefit from the
cost-effective leaching ore processing solution, which includes a plug-and-play
plant that can be customized and scaled to meet individual needs.