Quebradona treasures – a novel greenfields flash flotation test and development of geometallurgical relationships

Speaker:  Dr Nick Clarke, Principal, Imtech Pty Ltd

Abstract: Current flash flotation test techniques are targeted at operating plants.  A laboratory batch test technique for greenfields operations was developed and will be described.  Finding geometallurgical relationships to proxy data is often difficult and relationships mediocre.  A slightly unusual method was followed to select samples for geomet testing and may have helped in developing exceptionally strong predictive relationships for almost all metallurgical parameters.

Bio:  Nick Clarke graduated from the Royal School of Mines, London, followed by a PhD from the University of Leeds.  He has 50 years of experience in the areas of project development, operations management, minerals engineering, environmental engineering and process development within the precious metals, base metals, mineral sands and iron ore industries. Most recently he has been closely involved in the development of two large mines owned by AGA in Colombia, the Gramalote gold mine and the Quebradona copper-gold mine, and before that the development and commissioning of the Tropicana gold mine in Australia.