Moving from Insights to Achieving Financial Impact in Cyanide Management

Financial impact of excess cyanide consumption  

Cyanide consumption accounts for up to 60% of the ore processing cost in gold mining. Larger mines consume roughly 23,000 tonnes of cyanide each year (equivalent to one full cargo ship carrying 1,000 units of 40-foot containers). Excess cyanide consumption and application has become a norm in practice due to a lack of better technology that can help accurately measure cyanide level in real-time.

A solution that overcomes this problem has a significant financial impact on gold mining activities. Using the example above, a 15% reduction in cyanide consumption can reduce 3,450 tonnes of cyanide per year. With sodium cyanide purchase costs of USD 2,500 per metric ton, a mine can expect to save USD 8.6 million a year (check out your cost-savings with our calculator). Additionally, an estimated 20% reduction in detox reagent cost can help to realize additional cost-savings of several million US dollars a year. Less use of detox reagent also results in reduced consumption of water and energy needed for cyanide destruction in tailings. These can, not only benefit mining operations financially, but also help the mining industry achieve long-term sustainability as intended and highlighted by the International Cyanide Management Code (ICMI).

CyanoGuard as basis to a good cyanide management plan

• A technology that builds on a process control strategy

Our solution can produce reliable measurements in real-time without the need for substantial capital investments, expertise and training, interruption to operations and large-scale maintenance. Measurements done onsite are directly transmitted instantly to our online cloud platform. This data can be accessed anytime, anywhere by site managers and shared with metallurgy consultants.

• Allows consistent recording and monitoring of cyanide level

All measurements are stored in the online Cyano.io platform with the relevant date, time and GPS location. Our platform provides process managers with a real-time overview and visualization of their cyanide levels along the extraction process. Managers can configure upper and lower limits which trigger automated alerts in real-time (e.g. WhatsApp or SMS) if concentrations are outside of the defined range. The measurement data can also be integrated into existing process control systems (e.g. ABB Ability, Siemens' SIMATIC and thyssenkrupp's POLCID) for holistic monitoring and reporting of the entire mining operations.

• Achieve evident cost-savings through remote support and advisory

We provide all necessary onboarding, training and consultation for the use of the solution. It is our interest to see gold mines achieve the desired financial goal of maximizing gold extraction while saving on operational costs. Based on prior experience with other gold mines, we stay up to date on best-practices in cyanide monitoring and are 24/7 available for any support assistance.