Hydrometallurgy

Testwork design, management and interpretation

Several rounds of metallurgical testwork are generally required to take a project from exploration target to a built reality. Exact requirements will differ by commodity and the process selected; however, listed here are the typical categories of testwork and the corresponding level of engineering that each will support:

Testwork Level

Batch bench-scale sighter

Batch bench-scale optimisation

Continuous integrated piloting

Example Questions Answered

Will it leach?

How can it be leached most economically?

Do process recycles affect leach performance?

Engineering Level

Concept study

Pre-Feasibility study

Feasibility study and Detailed Design

Process selection

Our understanding of chemical principles, engineering norms and past projects allows us to quickly identify flowsheets appropriate to your project. Basic testwork, process modelling and high-level economic trade-offs will then identify the one or two best options to take forward into detailed study.

Operation de-bottlenecking and trouble-shooting

Our whole-of-system approach to improving production is underpinned by rigorous data analysis and targeted modelling to identify root causes and provide practical solutions. The first step in any process review is to produce a reconciled dataset of historical metallurgical performance. Analysis and process modelling then allows basic assumptions such as sampling representativity, reaction pathway, bottleneck location, water balance, etc, to be challenged and confirmed or discarded. This provides a deeper understanding of the primary drivers of process behaviour, allows the right questions to be asked, and directly leads to process improvements.