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Is there any new info out there for treatment of carbonaceous ores with a high PRI pregnant robbing elements in a CIL circuit?
We know there are many areas of research, but in most cases people resort to the more traditional methods of separation (pre-flotation, cycloning or gravity techniques where possible), oxidation (some carbonaceous material responds to POX, the Albion process, hypochlorite or flash chlorination), blanking/blinding (kerosene or other organics), resin instead of carbon (better competition against the preg-robber. Often combined with kerosene blanking) and finally, alternative leaching systems such as thiosulphate (Not as robust as cyanide and has its own issues).
A few newer areas of research include modifying activated carbon so that it is more competitive. There is a "new" leaching agent called Dithiooximide which supposedly works as well as cyanide, offers low consumption and avoids preg-robbing... although details are extremely sketchy from the company trying to promote it and I suspect it has limitations.
Fosterville Gold Mine (where I work), uses cycloning to remove a portion of the carbonaceous gangue in our float concentrate prior to Biox treatment. A heated leach system after CIL elutes some of the gold which has been preg-robbed (HiTeCC). The technology is licensed through Biomin.
No magic bullets?