Process Plant

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This is the processing facility for the Mercedes Gold Project which is 100% owned by Yamana Gold. Processing comprises a 1,500 tonnes per day plant that incorporates agitated leaching, counter current decantation and the Merrill-Crowe process. The process starts with crushing and ROM stockpiles ahead of the crusher are used to blend different grades or ore. The ore goes through the Jaw crusher and then onto a discharge belt feeder for transfer to the coarse storage bin. The next stage is fine crushing of the ore which is then stored in the fine ore bin.

After that the grinding circuit reduces the crushed ore from 80% passing 12.5 mm (1/2 in.) to 80% passing 45 μm. A single ball mill measuring 5.03 m in diameter and 8.84 m long, powered by a 3,430 kW motor, performs all grinding in closed circuit with hydrocyclones. The next phase of the process is gravity concentration and then pre-leach thickening, then through the leach circuit, cyanide recovery thickener, then Merrill Crowe method is uded to recover the gold and silver from the pregnant solution. There are also 2 retort furnaces to batch smelt the zinc precipiate and gravity concentrate.