Modular: Smart Not Small!

APT are specialists in the engineering and supply of modular mineral processing plants that begin at a very small mining scale, and increase in size and capacity to suit mid-tier and larger mining developments. A common misconception that we come across is that the term ‘modular’ means small in size and capacity, when in actuality, modular is simply providing an efficient, effective and enhanced solution in a compact and neat package, without any unnecessary extras. Engineering and design of these plants is done with precision, and we have been doing this for many years to date. Winston Churchill once said “if I had more time I would have written a shorter letter”, and we share in his sentiments. Today, equipment has to be effective in the optimum size package possible, with increased quality and efficiency. Time is of the essence, and waiting years to begin production is simply no longer feasible. The market changes, prices and currencies fluctuate which increase the risk. With innovation, precise attention to detail and engineering smarts, we are able to provide you with modular mineral processing plants starting with a throughput of only 3tph, right through to 250tph and numerous sizes in between. While we do have standard equipment, we always take into account our clients’ needs

It is well-known that APT is very well established for its economic, entry level plants, but the company is equally at home producing far larger capacity offerings, within the modular design. In many instances, the entry level plants simply help you to start somewhere in a feasible manner, and grow more easily from that point. It does not mean you have to start small in any way, you can begin at a much larger scale too.

       

A case in point is the recently secured 120tph cassiterite processing plant, in which a milestone was reached launching the company to the next level. Cyanidation plants have also grown, as attested by the photographs above of an APT gravity tower with Knelson concentrator and Acacia Reactor, alongside 2 x 450 cubic meter CIL tanks. These CIL tanks are the epitome of our modular design, as conventional cyanidation tanks are more exploitive of the environment, use more building materials and others, you can read up on the benefits of these modular tanks here. The above plant also includes elution and smelting facilities to complete the package.

Below is a large 80tph capacity RG800 scrubber being delivered to site, the third largest in the APT range behind the RG800HD 120tph capacity and the RG2500 250tph capacity. Modular, simple, efficient and all designed with smarts.

"It's A Real Fairtrade GoldKacha"- Greg Valerio (Jeweller & Activist www.valeriojewellery.com) shares his views on the GoldKacha

Artisanal mining activist Greg Valerio (jeweller and activist www.valeriojewellery.com) shared one woman's experience using the APT GoldKacha and we are proud to now share it with you. The GoldKacha was created specifically for exploration purposes and artisanal mining/start-up mining development. Mr Valerio has seen first-hand the impact that the GoldKacha has, and its potential to influence the small-scale mining sector. Below is a the short article that Mr Valerio wrote on his blog, www.gregvalerio.com, featuring a video of one of the miners speaking of how the GoldKacha has impacted the lives of herself and those around her. This makes us proud to see hard work paying off and helping others, thank you Mr Valerio for sharing this with us.

"In this short video interview, the wonderful charismatic Josephine Aguti explains the social impact that the GoldKacha will have on the community in Busia, Uganda.

 Women from TIIRA Women’s Mining COOP in Busia Region, Uganda.

It is not rocket science, it is the simple walk of fair trade in jewellry transforming lives through friendships that seek economic and social justice for us all."

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhiAVsVrUAY&feature=youtu.be[/embed]

APT GoldKacha – A machine for just about anyone

Whether you are an artisanal miner looking to break into the market on a budget, or an investor looking to do some exploration before your next big spend, the APT GoldKacha will most likely earn a place somewhere in your mineral processing plan. The APT GoldKacha is a centrifugal gravity mineral concentrator, designed as part of APT’s Groundbreaker and Exploration range. It was developed especially for small mining applications and is ideal for gold prospecting. The novel centrifugal riffle principle results in high recovery of both coarse & fine precious metals, particularly fine gold recovery.

Need a quick breakdown? This is how it works. Slurry is fed into the GoldKacha over a limiting size screen of 3mm. Material within the desired size range falls into the spinning cone and the heavier precious metals and minerals are forced outward and become trapped within the riffles. The concentrating action is enhanced by a unique and patented reflux principle, resulting in several concentrating stages on the ore before it exits. The concentrate is purged approximately once every hour and collected for further upgrade using a process such as conventional gold panning or our highly effective GoldKonka Concentrate Upgrader. The concentrator is driven by an electric 0.75kW motor, which can be connected to a small generator to allow for operation in remote areas.

The GoldKacha can handle a capacity of up to 3tph, but if you’re looking for a larger solution, several units can be nested allowing one operator to treat a greater tonnage of material, as shown in the picture below.

Similarily, for those big on business, several GoldKacha concentrators can be implemented as a custom treatment facility, where the owner can hire them out to enable others to process their own material in a safe & simple way. We will assist in performing demonstrations, should you wish, that show just how simple this plant is to operate, and how effective it is in recovery.

If you’re not sure if the GoldKacha is right for your ore, you can submit a sample for testing which will be undertaken alongside our associate mineral testwork laboratory, Peacocke & Simpson, who are ISO9001:2008 certified and have been in business since 1985. Here at APT, we provide an entire range of equipment available as add-ons so that we can give you the perfect processing plan.  Hard rock or alluvial, course or fine, we’ve got you covered. Check out the rest of our Groundbreaker Range here: small-scale stand-alone Jaw Crusher JC25, hard rock RD15 Fines Grinder, GoldKonka and GoldMasta sluice.

It is not too well known that APT does, in fact, allow distributors to become part of our sales team and get the plants to regions which we cannot, so if you are interested in becoming a distributor of the GoldKacha or any other pieces from the Groundbreaker Range, contact us at info@aptprocessing.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Gold, An Easy Target

With an internationally fixed price, an infinite market and being a small volume end product, the pluses for gold relative to other metals are strong. What is normally not appreciated is just how simple it is to recover this shiny prize in in the majority of cases. Yes, we all know about deep level refractory sulphides, but there is a vast resource of low hanging fruit to exhaust before going there.

Gold’s principal attribute that separates it, literally, is the very high SG of 19.2. Relative to its typical quartz ore host at an SG of 2.7, this is a huge differential to prey upon, and even if other sulphides or heavy minerals are present these rarely exceed an SG of 7, so this makes for great gravity separation potential.

The next favourable attribute of gold is that even at modest grinds it is liberated as free metallic particles, resulting in a disproportionately high amount becoming available for capture.

Gold is malleable, so it does not shatter upon grinding, as do some brittle minerals that become far finer that their host. This turns them into difficult targets for physical separation processes. In fact gold retains its liberated mass well and mostly what occurs is flattening and alteration of shape.

Putting all these attributes to our advantage allows the design of a simple process that maximizes the liberation of gold in as coarse a size as possible so that huge SG differential can be used to full advantage. The original ore breaks on the planes of weakness, which corresponds to the mineralization grain boundaries - we call this ‘early liberation’. We at APT have put a good deal of investigation into optimizing impact crushing as the mechanism of choice for oxide or quartz hosted ores. In fact impacting looks to have advantages for even deep level sulphide ores where both the sulphides and any free gold liberate well. Apart from the metallurgical advantage of early liberation, impact devices are small and compact and have a high reduction ratio. For example, with APT’s RD15 impactor, particles of up to 40mm are fed, resulting in a product with an 80% passing size of about 350 microns. The resulting product often yields a very high proportion of the gold in the primary gravity concentrate, see the progression of photographs below of an actual ore.

     

Putting this principle into a practical plant package has been achieved by APT’s design team to result in gold recovery plants of various throughputs from 1.5 tph through to 12tph, and beyond.

APT’s RDGK15 plant, either diesel or electric drive available

 

APT’s RD120 plant with pre-crusher and Knelson concentrator

  

 The RD15GK pictured above is an inexpensive starter pack that allows a prospective miner to get moving with professional equipment that has been purposely designed and built to the same standards as our larger plants. There is no compromise in quality on the RD, which is built in our own workshops. Being relatively light and compact the plant can be brought into production fast and can also be easily re-located. A small pre crusher as well as post cleanup and smelting packages are also available to complete the package for ore-to-gold capability.

 Certainly there may be more gold to extract by the addition of downstream plant, like APT’s TriTank cyanidation system for example, but that can always follow as a subsequent phase when the simple starter plant has provided the cash flow.

APT can provide amenability testing to assess the performance of your ore in our RD impacting system upon as little as 50kg of sample. We also provide the service of a pilot RDGK for recovery from 1 tonne ore samples, which the client is welcome to attend.

APT has therefore removed the obstacles to a fast and reasonable entry into gold production with professional, reliable equipment. All that remains is to implement and reap the golden rewards.

www.aptprocessing.com

GOLDFIX For Non Toxic & Efficient Gold Recovery

A recent addition to APT’s GroundBreaker range of Gold Mining products is a non toxic, recyclable, natural compound, developed and tested in house, which we have named ‘GoldFix^TM ’.

The GroundBreaker range is designed to be mercury free, and is widely used, particularly in places where environmental impact is a consideration. Mercury has, in the past, been the method commonly used to recover the maximum amount of elemental gold, being regarded as cheap and simple. However, because of its toxicity, in terms of its toll on human health and environmental pollution, it proved anything but cheap.

Now APT has produced a safe, efficient, cost effective alternative to mercury. GoldFix^TM is a natural compound which is recyclable and reusable. It is non toxic to humans and does not impact negatively on the environment. The APT gold recovery process, in which GoldFix is used, takes you from concentrate to smelted nugget in six simple steps. At the end of the process, the gold has been recovered and you are left with the pure gold nugget! GoldFix^TM for gold recovery works with APT’s existing GroundBreaker solutions, which include the GoldKacha, GoldKonka and GoldMasta. It provides the finishing step that bridges the gap between concentrates and gold ore bullion. Even the smallest amounts of gold can be captured efficiently.

Gold Alluvial Plant On Sale, Fully Assembled and Ready To Run!

This gold alluvial plant on sale boasts simple-to-use washing, scrubbing and mineral recovery components. It can process 6-10tph of alluvial/elluvial material, and although this particular one shown in the image below is for gold recovery, this plant can also recover a variety of minerals by simply having the upgrader changed, should you wish. The mineral recovery plant comes fully assembled and is installed and commissioned by APT professionals, ensuring a smooth and painless mining start-up process for the client. A concrete foundation is required on the site before the plant arrives, as well as a 1 meter high concrete wall and brick plinth. This allows for a neat plant set-up and optimizes the use of gravity as no chemicals are used or required. APT endeavors to be as safe in mining as possible, for both our clients and the environment. So how does this modular mining plant work? Firstly, the alluvial/elluvial material is fed into the scrubber via the feed trough and is then disintegrated into a pulp. The pulp is then fed by Gravity into 3 GoldKacha’s  where a batch concentrate is obtained. The concentrate is then cleaned up on the GoldKonka and smelted in the P100 electric furnace to produce the final gold bullion.

The RG100C plant is in-stock, fully assembled and sold as is, with all of the aforementioned components. The image below is of this exact plant, so this gives you an idea of what your mine will start out as. We do have an idea on how you can expand this plant financially and grow your mine, so feel free to contact us if you are interested in funding your own project.

This gold recovery plant is ready for collection upon payment and can be viewed upon request. Should you wish to receive any more information regarding freight quotes (should you wish for us to freight your plant), videos, testimonials from our other clients and more, please email or phone us on the contact details below

Contact Us On: Tel :  (27) 11 704 6678 Email :  info@aptprocessing.com

100% Mercury Free Gold Processing Plants

APT has begun 2016 by establishing, in association with their active agents in East Africa, Borassus, a number of 100% mercury free gold processing plants.  The efficiency of this particular method of processing is attracting intense local interest from local artisanal miners.  Interested miners have queued for as long as 48 hours at demonstrations of the plants and process.  Opinion has been strongly expressed by these miners that the recovery rate is far higher with APT’s 100% mercury free, processes, than from traditional methods. The plants used in the process consist of simple dry or wet milling utilizing a GoldKacha Concentrator and a GoldMasta sluice, to optimise free gold recovery.  Concentrate recovered by this process, can then be upgraded by using a GoldKonka, finally smelted using a field smelter, which is run off the same power source.

Following the success of the East African demonstration of this process, APT plans to launch this process globally. The significance of APT’s 100 percent mercury free process in an increasing environmentally fragile world cannot be over stressed.

APT welcome enquiries from all interested parties  included listed mining entities with environmental concerns, philanthropists, environmentalists, small and large mining concerns.

An existing APT equipped 100% mercury free gold proceeding plant site. Each site can service 200 to 300 artisanal miners.

Currently a 48 hour waiting line. Artisanal miners determined to get better recovery are prepared to wait. This waiting interval is being addressed and centres are currently being expanded and replicated regionally & rapidly.

The gold price is good

Gold price is a topic of concern for all miners, and right now for very many projects, the statement that the gold price is good rings absolutely true. If the cost of production is below the gold price, then a project is technically viable and the wider the margin the more so. Pretty obvious, but sentiment around a pre-conceived ‘bad’ price seems to be stalling projects when cool logic should dictate otherwise. Augment production with cheaper ounces

Green-field gold projects such as alluvials or surface oxides can indeed come into production at sub $700 per ounce, some are even quoting sub $500 per ounce, but what can be done to see through the harsh times for existing operating properties? Cutting costs is the obvious route, but there is a limit beyond which operation simply becomes too difficult to sustain. Some properties, probably most, may be sitting upon a solution literally in their back yard in the form of an upper oxide zone, surface rubble, tailings or even a small high grade reef. Generation of cheap ounces from these resources, even over a short finite life, may well make the difference between continuation or closure.

Lower capital and operating costs

Mining costs obviously need to be accounted for, but invariably the cost of surface free-dig or even a small reef operation can be a fraction of the main operation mining cost. The next hurdle towards implementation then becomes the capital cost to initiate extra production. APT has historically developed low cost modular solutions for almost all mineral processing applications and these become more important than ever in the context of cheap ounces. Not only has the capital been held to a minimum, but opex has also been addressed, particularly with low energy and manpower requirements.

Ultra-fast lead times

All good, but time is not on our side. The viability margin is being eroded daily and the sooner a remedy is put in place the better. Again APT solutions have been specifically designed to allow short lead times in construction and more importantly the pre-assembly of our plants translates into extremely fast on-site implementation. Smaller plants can be commissioned into production within just a few days with early gold pour offsetting any precious capital diverted to the sub-project.

In summary, the means exist if the resource exists and testing is available to rapidly assess candidate materials. All that remains is the will to survive and a very modest capital outlay for a dramatic result.

Hard Rock/Oxide Plant, one week on-site installation

Mini CIL Plant for high grade reef

APT TriTank Modular CIL Plant with pre gravity recovery for tailings retreatment

Solution For Listed Juniors?

APT have long since realized that there needs to be a solution for listed juniors. More than ever before the hurdles necessary to bring a new mining project on line, or to expand an existing one are daunting. Listed Juniors deserve a medal for their efforts and a good deal of recognition is owed for the often thankless task. There are many boxes to be checked, one of which is the plant; its design, its cost and the efficacy of the result. Nothing endorses a project more firmly to its investors than production on schedule, or even ahead of schedule.

APT realizes this and our plants have been brought into production for small to medium mines at literally break neck speed. For example, a 20tph gold plant was recently designed and built in just 14 weeks. It was then shipped to site and once there was erected, commissioned and in production in just 4 days! In another case a large 40tph gravity tower for gold recovery was erected on site in just 6 days! Through rigorous R&D, our designs have been evolved to allow for a single plant that can treat the softer upper oxide material and then accommodate more competent rock from the transition and deeper levels. Called Combo Plants, these units can accept up to 50% of the feed tonnage as hard competent rock and are ideal for a startup. Modules can be added as necessary to tailor the plant progressively to a deep level unit, for example by the addition of flotation and cyanidation.

The breakthrough for the Juniors is that APT have progressively expanded this tried and proven capability to a larger plant size. Our latest plant, at 120tph capacity is in fact a Combo Plant and clearly demonstrates APT’s specialist knowledge in this field. Large engineering companies frequently encounter difficulty designing their products downwards, it is not as easy as it sounds. APT on the other hand has had no trouble engineering upwards and we come from a broad base of experience of over eighty plants to grow from.

The ability now exists for a Junior Mining House to bring a project on line at reasonable cost ahead of schedule whilst reserves are expanded to justify further investment. APT would be involved throughout the entire process from testwork through to implementation of the final modules as the project matures. This can all be designed from the outset for ease of forecasting and financial planning. APT: a perfect solution for listed juniors.

40tph Gravity Tower and CIL plant

Schematic of 120tph APT Combo plant for cassiterite recovery

APT - Growing To Meet Your Expectations

Containerised Laboratory Services

The latest trend in the mining and minerals industry is a move towards the design and construction of modular or containerised laboratories in order to ensure that the client has at his disposal a full scope of capabilities for the fast turn-around of accurate and reliable data, explains Gary McFarlane, business development at APT Processing.

These laboratories (labs) are designed and operated in accordance with global quality standards, internationally recognised methods and proficiency programs that include benchmark comparisons with external labs. As more Junior and emergent mining companies are entering the exploration and mining industry- they are frequently dealing with smaller exploration areas, hence they need fast turn-around to maximize on site value, states McFarlane. Most mining activities are carried out in remote areas far from traditional laboratories, and thus require samples to be shipped across borders or transported hundreds of kilometres for analysis, which tends to be costly and time consuming. Modular or containerized laboratories now offer a number of benefits over the traditional laboratories as they can be moved at a relatively low cost, andare quick to bring on-line.

“Flexibility to react quickly is now hugely important in the new mining industry. Good decisions are made not only upon good information, but in time with changing events. containerized, convenient, fast analyses make a great partner to nimble slick operations”, adds McFarlane. whether on-site or off-site, it is imperative that one knows what elements is looking for, and if it is gold, then a system will include a bLeG with an AA. if it is base metals, then Xrf can be specified. for the cyanidation plant option, a carbon ashing furnace is also included, however if the amount of samples is large, or a programme needs to be accelerated, dual units can be ordered, placed together and then separated later for deployment at different sites, explains McFarlane.

APT Field Assay Laboratory

APT recently installed a field Assay Laboratory at the CATA operation in Tanzania, enabling exploration to proceed while the rest of the process plant is being installed. APT’s laboratories include analytical tools such as Atomic Absorption, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), as well as activated carbon analysis for monitoring cyanidation systems. The facilities are not just equipped for analysis, but also include the relevant metallurgical testing capability. They therefore also provide information upon expected extraction, a vital part of the equation. This additional capability makes the units ideal for ongoing monitoring and efficiency maintenance of APT plants or existing plants, concludes McFarlane.

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