Project Overview: Tailored for large and medium-sized gold mines
The CIL process used in this project is currently the leading advanced technology in global gold beneficiation. Compared to traditional cyanidation methods, the key feature of CIL is that leaching and adsorption occur simultaneously, eliminating the need for complex intermediate solid-liquid separation steps, resulting in a shorter process and lower losses.
Process Flow for the South Africa Project
Crushing and Grinding
The raw ore undergoes two-stage single-circuit crushing followed by two-stage double-circuit grinding, with the final grind size controlled to ensure that particles finer than 200 mesh account for more than 85%, laying a solid foundation for subsequent leaching.
Leaching and Adsorption (Core CIL Process)
Qualified slurry enters a set of high-efficiency leaching tanks, where sodium cyanide is added to leach gold while activated carbon is introduced to adsorb gold cyanide complexes in a countercurrent flow. Leaching and adsorption are completed simultaneously in a single step.
Desorption and Electrolysis
After separation, the gold-loaded carbon is fed into a high-temperature, high-pressure desorption and electrolysis system. The gold is desorbed and then recovered via electrowinning to produce high-purity gold slurry.
Smelting and Ingot Casting
The gold slurry undergoes acid washing to remove impurities, followed by high-temperature smelting, and is ultimately cast into standard gold ingots with a purity of 99.99%.
Advantages of this CIL production line
• Higher recovery rates, maximizing resource utilization
By eliminating the complex solid-liquid separation and transfer steps found in traditional processes, this method significantly reduces gold losses during transfer and separation. In actual operation, the overall recovery rate is 2–3 percentage points higher than that of traditional processes. Don’t underestimate these 2–3 percentage points—for a 1,500-ton-per-day operation, this translates to substantial financial gains over the course of a year.
• Modular layout, saving space and energy
The CIL leaching tank group features a compact, ring-shaped arrangement, requiring less floor space and shortening material transport distances. This translates to lower equipment investment costs as well as reduced daily electricity and reagent consumption. For projects in Africa, low operating costs are critical.
• Designed for water-scarce environments, with a water recycling rate exceeding 85%
Southern Africa is characterized by arid conditions and low rainfall, making water a critical constraint. We have specifically designed a highly efficient water recycling system that achieves a water recycling rate of over 85%. This significantly reduces the consumption of fresh water and operational costs, while also meeting the requirements for green mining, delivering both economic and environmental benefits.
The successful operation of this 1,500-ton-per-day CIL production line demonstrates that advanced yet not overly complex technology, combined with localized adaptation, can effectively resolve the long-standing issues faced by local gold mines—namely, low recovery rates, high water consumption, and limited production capacity. It can be said that this project provides a replicable and practical upgrade model for gold mines of similar scale in the region.
About Us
Zhongyu Dingli Group is a provider of comprehensive mining solutions with over 30 years of industry experience. The company operates facilities dedicated to intelligent equipment and supporting machinery, as well as software technology. The first phase of the intelligent equipment facility covers an area of 32,000 square meters and features 13 major functional zones, including painting and sandblasting, material cutting, steel plate processing, assembly, finishing, welding, machining, testing, finished goods, shipping, heat treatment, and warehousing. This closed-loop production process ensures orderly and efficient mining equipment manufacturing, achieving a high degree of integration between large-scale production, specialization, and automation.
Leveraging core technologies such as 25 invention patents and 104 utility model patents, the company manufactures high-performance equipment including heavy-duty hammer crushers and horizontal gyratory crushers, while implementing strict quality control throughout the entire process via its physical and chemical testing center. We offer one-stop services ranging from individual machine supply to complete plant construction, with the fastest turnaround time of 58 days to production. Committed to providing customers with full lifecycle support, we are your trusted partner.
