![]() For example, there were new HL operations successfully commissioned in recent years throughout the world aimed to treat material accumulated in past decades in tailings and waste management facilities. It is important to note that the mining industry has managed to implement a number of important advancements which allow producers to push HL boundaries to new more challenging environments. Since 2005, the following notable gold and copper HL operations have been commissioned: Veladero (Argentina), Lagunas Norte (Peru), Kisladag (Turkey), Los Filos (Mexico), Copler (Turkey), Porvenir (Mexico), Karma (Burkina Faso), Caserones (Chile), and many others. HL facilities are located north to the open-pit. Satellite view of Radomiro Tomic copper mine, Chile. There is no coincidence, since this is the region where the world’s biggest low-grade porphyry copper deposits are located. *Source: IntelligenceMine’s ballpark estimation, based on available data.Īs can be seen in Table 2, the five biggest copper HL production facilities are located in Chile. With about 327 kt produced in 2012, CODELCO’s Radomiro Tomic mine is believed to takes first place in terms of HL copper output, followed by BHP Billiton’s Escondida and Spence mines (Table 2). 3 million tonnes of copper, which represents roughly 16% of total copper production. In 2014, more than 50 major HL-SX-EW operations worldwide recovered approx. Source: Eldorado Gold.Ĭopper Heap Leaching (Solvent Extraction-Electrowinning – SX-EW) Huge HL facility can be seen in the background. *Source: IntelligenceMine’s ballpark estimation, based on available data.Īerial view of Kisladag mine, Turkey. ![]() With 970,000 troy ounces of gold recovered in 2014, Newmont/Buenaventura’s Yanacocha mine is the leader in HL of gold, followed by Barrick’s Veladero (722,000 troy ounces of gold) and Lagunas Norte (582,000 troy ounces of gold) operations (Table 1). In 2014 about 150 major gold-silver mines worldwide utilized HL technology and recovered about 15 million troy ounces of gold, roughly 17% of global gold production (~89 million troy ounces, according to USGS data). Metal production from HL operations reached considerable proportions since their inception in the 1950s. ![]() HL operations are located in wide variety of geographical conditions, and succeed in all types of climate, from the Arctic Circle to the Tropics.Īccording to the IntelligenceMine’s database, there are 235 active major HL operations worldwide, as well as 39 projects in development and 133 in evaluation phases (Figure 4).įigure 4. Start-up of currently operating major Heap Leach mines, # mines. The recent commodity market downturn has spurred further commissioning of new HL projects throughout the world (Figure 3).įigure 3.
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