Many junior gold companies are coping with low gold prices by re-engineering projects to reduce capital requirements. A lower cost alternative is heap leaching, where ore is stacked on impermeable liners in «heaps». A drip system is applied to dissolve the gold from the rock in a closed circuit that recirculates the spent solution. No milling and fewer moving parts are required, so the capital cost is much less than other methods of extraction. This has enabled junior developers in Nevada, Mexico, Peru, Burkina Faso, and elsewhere to move forward with economically viable projects.
Heap Leach, California 2014
Source: Van Eck Research
Get the latest news & insights from MarketVector
Get the newsletterRelated:
