MetaFLO provides waste management solutions for all phases of the mining process. Whether you are looking to reduce waste from your mineral separation process, your mineral recovery process, or optimize your mining waste water management processes, MetaFLO has the chemistry to help. Instead of treating only the end-product of your life-cycle, MetaFLO patented organic polymers can be used at each stage to reduce your overall extraction cost per hour.
The polymers can be introduced as early as the crushing and grinding process to begin the process of stripping away waste ore and reducing the number of passes and thus, the overall work required by your equipment. Polymers can also be introduced into the gravimetric processes to increase separation of waste from valuable minerals and also into the flotation and cyanidation processes.
Precious Metals Process
The ExtracTech precious metals process uses patented advanced organic polymers that can dramatically enhance the mineral extraction process.
This technology offers the mining industry process improvements in flotation, centrifuge, amalgamation and cyanidation resulting in lower extraction costs, lower disposal costs and higher precious metal purity. The greatest benefit is in the increase in efficiency and decrease in time required for the cyanidation process, however additional benefits can also be realized in all key extraction processes, including flotation, centrifuge and amalgamation.
Cyanidation
The polymers accelerate the cyanidation process and make it more environmentally friendly. Our unique advanced polymer dramatically reduces the time required for cyanidation from an average of 24 hours to 12 hours and in some cases, 4 hours. Essentially, the polymers are an additive to the cyanidation process and allow the cyanide to more easily react with the liberated gold.
In addition to this reduction, there is also a resulting increase in recovery up to 8%. By oxidizing the metals and by exposing the particles to be reacted, this makes the process more selective, resulting in less contaminants in the water.
Key Benefits
How Does It Work?
ExtracTech works as a super oxidant and breaks/weakens covalent bonds exposing metals of interest. It reacts with high ORP (oxidation reduction potential) value metals, making them inert. As a super oxidant, ExtracTech also provides additional oxygen to the reaction, allowing for reaction acceleration. As ExtracTech is a highly alkaline product, there is also the possibility that CaOH could be removed from the process.
In the example below, the mineral composition includes Silicon, Arsenic, Sulfur, Iron, Copper, Silver and Gold.
The cyanide cannot see the gold before being exposed, so it needs to react with the metals on the surface first to then be able to see the gold.
ExtracTech has been tested successfully on Silver, Gold and Copper extraction in laboratory tests.
Before ExtracTech Reaction
After ExtracTech Reaction
How Much Do I Need to Use?
With ExtracTech, a little goes a long way. For heap leaching, the recommended dosage is between 150g/ton to 250g/ton.
Polymers for Stabilization & Recovery
MetaFLO also has solutions for your existing tailings issues. If your tailing ponds are at or over-capacity, our unique polymers can dramatically reduce the toxicity of these ponds and in most cases, provide a path to additional mineral recovery.
Polymers for Solidification
Are you concerned about toxic waste water or sludges from your mining operations? MetaFLO’s polymer solutions can reduce toxicity, and then solidify and stabilize the remaining sludges and slurries for safe and environmentally-friendly disposal.
Mining operations can generate several different types of waste streams:
Often these waste streams need solidification and binding of free liquids in order to be shipped to a licensed disposal facility. Conventional sorbents – sawdust, lime kiln dust, corn cob – normally expands the waste volume by 50-100%. This greatly increases disposal costs in terms of higher transportation costs due to more loads and, of course, higher landfill disposal fees. The use of MetaFLO polymers allows waste generators to meet EPA 9095 (Paint Filter Test) requirements with <1% expansion!
Product Attributes
The introduction of our polymers enhances your overall process and reduces the toxicity of mine tailings. It is best to understand where the additive can be most effective in your specific process and MetaFLO engineers are here to help from start to finish by providing guidance for bench testing, establishing a pilot and working closely with you to go-live into production.
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