With the burgeoning opportunities for new gold mines to be developed the opportunity now exists for a reassessment of the optimal processing path for these gold ores. Projects have traditionally followed the path of whole ore cyanidation with either Carbon In Pulp (CIP), Carbon In Leach (CIL) or Merrill Crowe. The challenge ahead is whether these traditional processing methods are the best option for stakeholders, or to go beyond CIP and use a combination of currently available technologies that can be used to provide gold recovery at a significantly reduced capital cost and minimal deleterious impact on the environment. Either stand alone or combinations of gravity concentration and flotation, can produce a gold bearing concentrate that can then be fed directly to a batch or continuous intensive cyanidation unit. Treatment of a gravity/flotation concentrate by intensive cyanidation may be processed by the InLine Leach Reactor (ILR) developed by Gekko Systems of Australia. The advantages of the technology combining gravity/flotation followed by intensive cyanidation are significantly reduced capital costs; improved safety due to reduced cyanide inventories; the majority of tailings un-contaminated by cyanide; less energy required due to an opportunity for an increase in grind size - reducing green house gas emissions; detoxification of concentrate tailings can minimise tailings disposal and containment requirements._x000D_
FORMAL CITATION:Longley, R, 2004. Beyond CIP/CIL - a combination of existing technologies utilising gravity, flotation and intensive leach may herald the future for gold ore processing, in Proceedings Metallurgical Plant Design and Operating Strategies 2004, pp 159-170 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).