We recently had an interview with Chemours (Link to Part 1 here), a leading supplier of sodium cyanide to the mining industry. Our CEO, Benedikt Kirchgaessler, and Jackson Briggs, Marketing Manager for Mining Solutions at Chemours, discussed how novel technologies like CyanoGuard's can radically improve the well-established gold cyanidation process and help gold mines to become more efficient.
Here are our six key takeaways from the interview.
How CyanoGuard's technology is different from the standard analytical methods that mines currently use?
Our technology is a combination of the latest developments in analytical chemistry and the capabilities of artificial intelligence that is easier, faster, and more reliable than traditional methods like manual titration. The device does not require calibration and offers full traceability of results from the spot the sample has been taken.
Can you explain how is your device a field-focused solution?
Everything you need is in that case, basically a small vial to take your sample, the syringe and the cartridge. You don't need any prior filtration. Just press the sample through the cartridge, and you get an immediate result. Our solution requires only one-millilitre of a sample. So, from a safety perspective, operators don't need to handle large quantities of cyanide solution.
Can you share a case study and explain the benefits mines using your device have seen?
One of the benefits we've seen is that some mines are unable to get a reliable reading due to interferences from other substances. In some cases, they were using too much cyanide which is more expensive and requires more detox. In other cases, they weren't using enough cyanide to extract all the gold. Our device help mines bring their cyanide values into a more narrow, consistent interval. Our method of measurement is also not as prone to interferences as traditional methods like silver nitrate titration.
Can you talk a bit about the benefits of that mobility in your device?
Some mines realise they need an additional monitoring point because they are adding cyanide, not only at the beginning but also at an intermittent stage in the process. And for that, installing a new analyzer would create a huge time lag. This is why we are so focused on this mobile-first application so they can actually shift their sampling points easily. You know exactly where the measurement has been taken because it records the GPS data.
How do you see the cloud capabilities and the mobility of your solution complimenting those (COVID-19) measures that mines are implementing with the physical distancing and remote work?
Our solution is very helpful for mine sites because not only the onboarding and the implementation can be done fully remote, there's no handover of samples to a lab anymore. The operator is entirely independent and can just do the analysis on the spot wherever he takes the sample.
Can you explain how your device support mines in having that second or third pair of eyes on things?
CyanoSmart's core capabilities are that you can easily give data access to a consultant or an external mining engineer, or someone from corporate to review or analyze the results. This is all done in real-time. You don't need to compile all the data manually and then send it over anymore. As a result, the feedback cycles are much shorter. You will also be able to run a more efficient cyanidation process because it's more tightly controlled. And if there's ever an anomaly, you can react much faster.
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