GoldOre (Pty) Ltd. had the pleasure featuring as the cover story of Modern Mining Magazine August 2023 edition. The insightful article highlights GoldOre’s revolutionary technology, the MACH Reactor™, and all the incredible benefits brought by it’s many installations worldwide. Read below to discover what was discussed in the feature as well as where the future of GoldOre is headed.
GoldOre (Pty) Ltd. is actively working to become a supplier of choice to the mining industry. The South African mining industry is highly regulated and conservative, and this poses unique challenges for technology suppliers like GoldOre, as it advances its MACH technology in support of the sector. Given the stringent requirements that suppliers to the sector have to meet in terms of product safety and ethical business, amongst others, East Rand-based technology specialist, GoldOre’s MACH’s patented technology has been developed to the highest standards, says MD Adrian Singh.
Launched in 2012, the revolutionary MACH Reactor™ offers solutions for dramatically improved productivity, efficiency and energy saving, with GoldOre working to become a product supplier of choice to the arduous mining sector. The inventor of the technology, Adrian Singh, continues to play an active role in the company ensuring continuous improvement and development of the technology in order to meet the ever-evolving needs of the metallurgical industry.
Owing to the input and involvement of the inventor, GoldOre can custom build MACH Reactors™ to virtually any flow requirement, with current capacities ranging from 0.5 m3/h to 3000 m3/h through a single unit. The materials of construction for the MACH can also be tweaked to allow operation in a range of applications in different commodity sectors. For ease of market entry, it is not only the MACH Reactor™ that is customisable but also the business offering by GoldOre. Clients may choose from a variety of options including lease, purchase or rent-to-buy. Free trials are also offered to selected clients based on their specific circumstances and appetite for business. “GoldOre’s doors are always open for business and unique business deals may be negotiated, provided that they are beneficial to all parties involved,” says Singh.
Patent protection is key. “Tainted by the many fly-by-nights that have come and gone with empty promises, the metallurgical industry is justly extremely circumspect when it comes to new players in the arena,” says Singh. As a starting point, and to ensure credibility and rightful ownership, GoldOre took the initiative to obtain worldwide patent protection for its MACH Reactor™ technology which not only reassures potential clients of GoldOre’s legal right to the technology, but also sets their minds at ease regarding the potential infringement of patent rights of other competing technologies.
The MACH Reactor™ is the gold industry’s only hydrodynamic, cavitating and self-aspirating shear reactor for gas injection into pulp with a relatively low power draw. “Patent protection is the only reliable way to ensure sustainable long-term business and is a necessary right of passage to ensure a seat at the negotiating table as well as satisfying good governance principles of reputable clients,” says Singh.
According to Singh, it is through laboratory and semi-pilot investigations, coupled with continuous research and development in conjunction with research (Mintek) and academic institutions, that GoldOre can provide a compelling techno-economic solution with the MACH that is hard for any potential client to ignore. “Recently, GoldOre modified the gas dosage ports on the MACH to include reagent dosage points. This has yielded huge savings in both reagent consumptions (up to 30%), by improving the miscibility and mixing of reagents within the MACH, as well as efficiency improvements by introducing critical reagents into a high reactivity environment in the venturis of the MACH, to ensure a chemical reaction and metallurgical response that would otherwise not be possible. Most importantly, recovery improvements of between 2 and 8% can be attained, which goes straight to the bottom line.
In conjunction with research, design adjustments have also been made to allow for the easier installation of the MACH using the existing infrastructure of thickener underflow pumps and pipelines where finances, space, flow sheet constraints and practicality do not allow for the traditional and preferred tank recirculation method of installation. The ability of the MACH to uniquely enable gas vacuum, or self-aspiration, has allowed for seamless pulp aeration when a pressurised gas supply has not been available. These small technical advances have made a huge impact on project outcomes and established the MACH as a tried and tested technology, with a worldwide track record and footprint for over a decade.
The South African mining industry is an extremely difficult market to break into, says Singh, adding that once the legal requirements have been satisfied, the softer aspects of reputation, track-record and credibility come into play. GoldOre has established itself over the past 11 years as an ethical company that is based on technical excellence. The MACH’s patented technology has been developed to the highest standards. The revolutionary MACH reactor offers solutions for dramatically improved productivity.
To this end, there have been numerous papers published, by the inventor together with industry collaborators, in industry respected journals. The company is an on-going sponsor of metallurgical societies and conferences and is frequently part of the technical programme where latest break throughs, developments and discoveries are shared with other industry players including academia. “GoldOre works in collaboration with many high ranking
universities globally where one-of-a-kind laboratory sized and fully kitted out MACH test equipment is supplied at no cost to support post graduate studies at the masters and doctoral levels. We offer supervision, technical and motivational support to post-graduate students who have the MACH Reactor™ technology as the main focus of their studies.”
For any technology to be taken seriously these days, it is essential to address ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) issues, global warming, the circular economy and the quest for carbon net zero by the year 2050. “GoldOre ensures that it delivers on this front and is proud to share that it has managed to reduce the power requirement of the MACH by as much as 70% through the optimisation of the venturis within the MACH – in terms of both number and speed – while still maintaining all the benefits associated with metallurgical response. This was done in close conjunction with research and development to ensure resilient efficacy of the technology as it evolves to support the green agenda. GoldOre has modified the gas dosage ports on the MACH to include reagent dosage points. also contributes to the circular economy as it is a ‘one-time manufacture’ that lasts for the life of the project and requires zero maintenance”. Singh adds that smaller plant footprints, lower reagent consumptions and maximised recoveries guarantee minimal environmental impact and reduced requirements to retreat tailings dams to maximise profits and ensure sustainability for future generations.
Apart from the tried and tested applications of the MACH for recovery improvement via pre-oxidation and boosted leach in gold and uranium plants and the improved recovery of valuable fines in flotation applications, GoldOre recently turned its attention to the improved recovery of battery minerals, more specifically copper. “GoldOre is pleased to share that the improvement in flotation response for copper ores with the MACH mirrors that of the benefits seen with PGM (Platinum Group Metals) ores, with the added benefit of requiring far fewer passes with the MACH. This fact, coupled with the ability of GoldOre to supply high-capacity MACH Reactors™ with flowrates of up to 3000 m3/h (the largest competitive unit has a capacity of 600 m3/h), makes the application of the MACH to copper ores both practical and economically viable.” This breakthrough offers copper producers the cheapest capital alternative to improve metal recovery in their concentrators when compared to TSP (Tailings Scavenger Plants). GoldOre believes that in order to stay relevant, one has to continually re-invent oneself, and be positioned to satisfy the challenges of the
growing battery minerals industry is a huge advantage for future company diversification and growth.
The company has also made breakthroughs in the industrial minerals sector through close client collaboration and on-site test work with semi-pilot MACH test rigs. Technical and economic challenges had to be overcome to ensure a resilient, positive and techno-economic outcome for the client. Challenges with arctic conditions and space constraints with fully enclosed plants had to be overcome to guarantee long term success of the project.
GoldOre recognises that client contact and relationships are key to market penetration and is currently looking to leverage off collaborative partnerships with other prominent industry individuals and companies in order to expand the business base into far reaching geographical territories. There is much truth in the old proverb: “It’s not what you know, it’s
who you know.” “Join us on our exciting journey and be embraced by our strategy of partnership and collaboration for mutual business benefit and diversified growth,” concludes Singh.
The MACH Reactor™ is truly an exciting technology, bringing new life to the metallurgical industry. Become a part of the new era of technology today – contact us to enquire of acquiring your very own MACH Reactor™.
Website: www.goldore.org Email: adrian@goldore.org Call: (+27) 82 940 7057
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