Processing at Fosterville
The gold mined at Fosterville is found as both very small nuggets, or gravity gold, and as microscopic particles dispersed in sulphide mineral pyrite (also known as fool’s gold).
Raw ore treatment
The ore brought from underground is blended, crushed and fed into the plant in order to start the process of extracting the gold.
Sulphide mineral pyrite pre-treatment
The gravity gold is recovered in a centrifuge-like machine – while the sulphide mineral pyrite undergoes a complex gold extraction process.
Leaching, absorption, elution and electrowinning
The oxidised and washed sulphide mineral pyrite ore now undergoes a chemical process to extract the gold.
Wastewater treatment
Large volumes of water are produced from underground as mining progresses. This water contains dissolved metals that interfere with the BIOX® process.
To be able treat mine water effectively there needs to be a combination of chemical and mechanical filtration.
More Processing Info
Gravity gold recovery.
One of the BIOX tanks which is used in the sulphide mineral pyrite extraction process.
