Chapter 31

Zinc Cementation
R. Walton
Ray Walton Consulting Inc., Aurora, ON, Canada

1. INTRODUCTION
The use of zinc, either in the form of dust or shavings, has been a well-known part of the MerrilleCrowe process,
incorporating zinc cementation for the recovery of gold and silver from pregnant solutions, since 1888. The process is a
classic cementation reaction involving oxidation and reduction. Normally applied to solutions generated either from a
solideliquid separation step downstream of a grinding and leaching operation, or from solutions originating from heap-
leaching, it has also been used on eluates from carbon stripping and solutions from intensive cyanidation. The expen-
sive solideliquid separation step following grinding operations, which is required for the MerrilleCrowe process can now
largely be avoided by the use of the carbon-in-pulp (CIP)/carbon-in-leach (CIL) process. However, the zinc cementation
process is still widely used today (Marsden and House, 2006). It has also retained certain specific specialist metallurgical
applications: when the silver-to-gold ratio in solution is high, when the mercury content of the pregnant solution is high,
when high concentrations of flotation reagents or other organics are present, or when the scale of operation is small.

2. CHEMISTRY
Cementation is an electrochemical, precipitation reaction involving oxidation and reduction processes, sometimes referred
to as a redox reaction.
The reaction describing zinc cementation of gold is given as follows:
2AuðCNÞ2  þ Zno /2Auo þ ZnðCNÞ4 2 (31.1)
An alternative reaction equation (Viramontes Gamboa et al., 2005), thought to be more representative of actual conditions
and stoichiometry (water reduction has long been recognized as the most electron-consuming side reaction), is shown as:

AuðCNÞ2 þ Zno þ H2 O þ 2CN /Auo þ OH þ 0:5H2 þ ZnðCNÞ4
2
(31.2)
The gold atom accepts one electron and is reduced from the (þ1) oxidation state to the metallic (0) oxidation state; the
zinc atom donates two electrons and is oxidized from the metallic (0) state to the (þ2) oxidation state. Gold metal coats
onto the zinc particle, which continues to corrode and dissolve.
The electromotive series is a list of metals, whose order indicates their relative tendency to be oxidized or donate
electrons. It begins with those metals most easily oxidized (Li, K, Ca, etc.) and ends with those most difficult to oxidize
(Hg, Ag, Pt, and Au). The order corresponds to an increasing oxidation potential, expressed in volts, and is a measure of
how readily oxidation will take place. It is sometimes called the replacement series in that any metal with a lower oxidation
potential will replace a metal in a chemical compound with a higher oxidation potential in the way that zinc (0.76 V)
replaces gold (þ1.5 V).
It is interesting to note that lead has an intermediate oxidation potential (0.126 V). Various texts refer to the soluble lead
salt forming a leadezinc couple during this reaction, a description of its role as a catalyst. The soluble lead salt can be
added as either lead acetate or, more commonly, lead nitrate.

Gold Ore Processing. Mike D. Adams (Editor), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-63658-4.00031-1 553

Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
554 PART | II Unit Operations

As with most cyanidation reactions, the pH value should be maintained above 10.5 to inhibit the evolution of HCN gas.
The optimum free-cyanide concentration corresponds with the typical residual level present after cyanidation leaching of
150e200 mg/L, expressed as NaCN. Lower cyanide levels favor zinc hydroxide formation, which passivates or inhibits the
reaction; higher levels can dissolve the metallic zinc, thus increasing zinc consumption. If excess zinc is added, zinc
hydroxide formation is favored. Some comparisons of CIL/CIP vs. zinc cementation include this residual cyanide level as a
disadvantage of the cementation process, in that lower residual cyanide concentrations could be expected for the carbon-
based process. This could lead to a lower net cyanide consumption.
Although temperature increases the rate of reaction, the reaction is very fast even at low temperatures just above
freezing. High temperature and increasing altitude reduce the equilibrium oxygen content of solutions. Dissolved
oxygen levels of less than 1 ppm are optimum for the reaction; higher values reduce reaction kinetics because
oxygen reduction competes with gold reduction. The presence of oxygen can also promote re-dissolution of gold
by cyanide.
Soluble sulfides at less than 20 mg/L can be very detrimental to precipitation, owing to the formation of an insoluble
zinc-sulfide layer. Early operators noticed that the presence of small amounts of trapped sulfide particles in boxes con-
taining zinc shavings lowered zinc consumption. This was attributed to the fact that these sulfides reacted with cyanide and
oxygen and reduced the oxygen content of the solution.
In practice, gold, silver, and mercury are precipitated with high efficiencies, in excess of 99.5%. Some base metals,
notably iron and some copper, nickel, and cobalt, are precipitated but at much lower efficiencies. Copper precipitation can
be inhibited by increasing the cyanide concentration; higher cyanide concentrations may be necessary to initiate effective
gold precipitation in the presence of high copper levels.

3. HISTORY
The use of the zinc cementation process for gold recovery was first patented in Great Britain by J. MacArthur and Drs. R.
and W. Forrest in 1888. Initial applications were at the Crown mine in New Zealand and Robinson Deep in South Africa
during the 2 years following patenting. It soon became the preferred gold recovery step and an integral part of the cya-
nidation process. The first application in the United States was by C.W. Merrill at the Homestake mine in Lead, South
Dakota.
Zinc cementation was initially performed in sloping boxes filled with bundles of coarse zinc shavings. Gold-bearing
solutions were passed through sand filters ahead of this step to remove suspended solids. However, the coarse zinc
shavings became coated, and essentially passivated with insoluble zinc hydroxides, so zinc consumption was high. To
alleviate this effect, three main improvements to the process were made (Marsden and House, 2006; Hampton, 2002):
l The first improvement was the use of a lead salt; this was achieved by dipping the bundles of zinc shavings in lead
acetate.
l The second was the substitution of zinc powder in place of the zinc shavings (C.W. Merrill).
l The third was the introduction of de-aeration through the use of a vacuum deaeration tower (T.B. Crowe).
These three improvements were initiated in the 20 years following the initial patenting and introduction of the process;
since then, the main improvements to the MerrilleCrowe process have been equipment related. Ongoing refinements, such
as the introduction of Stellar filters, have simplified operation, reduced operating costs and increased the size of plants. The
use of the basic process has been expanded to include gold recovery from carbon-stripping eluates and solutions origi-
nating from intensive cyanidation.

4. APPLICATION
The alternative processes, CIP or CIL, have become the preferred process route over the MerrilleCrowe process for
medium- and large-scale gold processing plants since the late 1970s, owing to their lower capital and operating costs (see
Chapter 31). These lower costs are mainly due to the nonrequirement of the solideliquid separation step inherent with the
MerrilleCrowe process. Except in the case of heap leaching, this step typically involves two-stage rotary-drum filtration or
up to six stages of countercurrent decantation thickeners. The solideliquid separation step is necessary to separate the gold-
bearing solution from the leached solid residue. In the carbon-based processes, the gold is adsorbed onto carbon granules
during or following cyanide leaching. They can then be easily screened and washed from the leach slurries. However,
despite these potentially higher capital and operating costs, the MerrilleCrowe process still finds application for certain
specific applications.
 Zinc Cementation Chapter | 31 555

4.1 High Silver:Gold Ratio

MerrilleCrowe is preferred over carbon-based processes when the silver:gold ratio in the leach solution is high. A number
of papers address this subject, which is covered in more detail in Chapter 45, but consideration would be given to the
MerrilleCrowe process when this ratio exceeds 2 or 3. Under typical plant operating conditions, the presence of cyanide-
soluble silver lowers the maximum gold loading of the activated carbon. This means that for a given concentration of gold
in solution, a higher amount of carbon must be moved through the leach tanks and screened out for subsequent stripping.
This increases the capital and operating costs for the carbon-based processes and can result in the MerrilleCrowe process
being selected for economic reasons.

4.2 High Mercury Content

In both heap-leaching and agitated-tank leaching operations, mercury can be dissolved from the ore by cyanide. In plants
using the carbon-based processes, soluble mercuryecyanide complexes are adsorbed onto the activated-carbon granules.
The mercury is later removed during the elution process step along with the gold and silver. However, it can contaminate
working areas during the various processing steps after elution, that is, pregnant and barren strip-solution storage tanks,
carbon-regeneration kiln, and electrowinning cells.
The loaded cathodes can be retorted to recover residual mercury, but by that point in the process, significant mercury
contamination can have occurred. These losses and subsequent contamination are more controllable when the Merrille
Crowe process is used. The mercuryecyanide complex is removed at greater than 95% efficiency from clarified solution by
zinc cementation. The precipitated mercury is recovered along with the gold and silver in the filtration step, immediately
following precipitation. The precipitate is collected from the filter and transported directly to the retort furnace. The
improved mercury management that is associated with the MerrilleCrowe process can lead to the selection of this process
route over carbon in solution. This is particularly true for heap-leaching operations, where the MerrilleCrowe process or
the alternative carbon-based gold recovery step from solution have similar capital costs, but the operating cost associated
with carbon stripping can be higher than that for MerrilleCrowe.

4.3 Other Applications

MerrilleCrowe is less affected by flotation reagents and other organics than a carbon-based process and could be
considered as an alternative when flotation concentrates are being leached. The activated-carbon granules adsorb the re-
agents and other organics, and this can affect their gold-loading capability by tying up available sites. Costs for smaller,
higher-grade plants using the MerrilleCrowe process can sometimes be lower than for plants using a carbon-based process,
owing to the relatively high capital and operating costs of the carbon-stripping plant.

5. BASIC FLOWSHEET
The basic MerrilleCrowe flowsheet is shown in Figure 31.1.
The main steps in the MerrilleCrowe process are clarification, deaeration, zinc cementation, and filtration. Solution is
received either from the pregnant-solution pond of a heap-leach operation or from the unclarified solution tank of a
solideliquid separation section. The solution must be clarified to around 1 ppm suspended solids for effective cementation
to occur. After clarification, the solution is pumped from the clarified-solution tank to the deaeration or Crowe tower. A
vacuum is applied to this tower and the dissolved-oxygen content of the solution is lowered from the equilibrium level of
around 7 ppm to below 1 ppm. The solution flows out of the tower to the filter-press feed pump. A stream of barren
solution containing the zinc powder enters the piping ahead of the pump suction from the zinc cone or emulsifier. Lead
nitrate may also be added at this point if required. The precipitated or cemented gold and other precious metals, as well as
excess zinc and other base metals, are collected in the precipitate filter. Periodically, this filter is emptied. The precipitate
may be retorted, dried, or calcined ahead of refining, depending on its mercury and base-metal content.

6. EQUIPMENT
6.1 Clarification
This step can involve one or two stages depending on the clarity of the incoming solution. The first stage, if used, is
typically a rake clarifier or a hopper clarifier. This step improves the clarity of the solution to less than approximately
556 PART | II Unit Operations

ATMOSPHERE

VACUUM
PUMP

BAROMETRIC
HEAD TANK

DEAERATION
PRESSURE TOWER SEAL
CLARIFIER POT
ZINC

FILTER-PRESS
UNCLARIFIED CLARIFIED BARREN SOLUTION
FEED PUMP
PREGNANT PREGNANT FILTER PRESS TANK
SOLUTION TANK SOLUTION TANK TO MERCURY
RETORT
FIGURE 31.1 MerrilleCrowe flowsheet.

25 ppm suspended solids. The second step is typically a pressure leaf-filter or sand clarifier. The leaf-filter is better suited to
produce the required clarity of about 1 ppm suspended solids required for effective precipitation to occur. These types of
filters have replaced the use of both the vacuum leaf-filter and filter press, which were used earlier in the 20th century. The
use of diatomaceous earth as a filter aid is widely used to achieve the filtration rates and clarity of solution required. It is
often added continuously during clarification as “body feed.”

6.2 Deaeration
Deaeration or Crowe towers can follow a number of designs. More recent designs use packed towers or cascade or splash
towers fitted with offset plates. Early designs used a variety of wooden lattices or strips. A variety of solution-distribution
launders, pipes, or sprays are also used. The vacuum is typically applied to the top of the tower by a liquid-ring vacuum
pump using barren solution as seal water. Operators often experience loose tower packing finding its way into the vacuum
pumps. This can be prevented by installing a simple retaining grid. The tower should also include a vortex breaker at the
solution outlet.
Some plants include a barometric head tank located between the tower and the vacuum pump. This tank, with its
associated barometric leg, prevents the possible carryover of gold-bearing solution to the vacuum pump, particularly during
flooded conditions. It also acts as a vacuum receiver in the same way as an air receiver on a compressed-air system. The
barometric leg typically sits in a solution-filled seal pot, which provides a vacuum seal.
Once the solution has been deaerated, it is imperative that air ingress to the solution be prevented. Welded pipe is
recommended between the deaerator and the filter press, and the pump suctions must be adequately designed or protected.
The filter-press feed pump can be one of many designs, including vertical and horizontal centrifugal. A vertical in-line
pump submerged in a bath has been found to be effective in excluding air, and hence oxygen, entering the deaerated
solution. However, horizontal centrifugal pumps with either packed glands or mechanical seals have also been successfully
applied. Care must be taken to review the tower operating level to provide the required net positive suction head for the
filter-press feed pumps and avoid cavitation. Sufficient residence time in the lower portion of the tower should also be
provided to allow the level-control system to function effectively. Although instrumentation sensors and control valves are
now typically used to control tower level, earlier designs used an overflow pipe, located below the packing, which returned
solution from the tower to a small vacuum-seal tank located in the clarified-solution tank.

6.3 Zinc Cementation

This step can occur in a zinc cone or emulsifier that can be in-line with the main process-solution flow (i.e., located under
the deaeration tower or alternatively located above the suction line of the filter-press feed pump), as shown in the flow
diagram. Experience has shown that most precipitation actually occurs in the precipitate filter as the solution passes
 Zinc Cementation Chapter | 31 557

through the cake of precipitate, which contains excess zinc, rather than at the point of zinc addition. Early zinc feeders were
slowly moving conveyor belts, which tended to add zinc in small batches as it fell off the end of the conveyor. A new
generation of controllable vibrating or pulsed feeders are now available. The improved control has led to reduced overall
zinc consumption and more reliable precipitation. Although zinc is typically added dry, some operations premix it with a
cyanide solution. This can return any zinc oxides and hydroxides present back to the metallic state.
A bleed from solutions circulating in a MerrilleCrowe plant is often required to control the build-up of zinc, iron, and
other base-metal cyanide concentrations. The treatment of this bleed stream in a cyanide-destruction plant should be
considered during design.

6.4 Precipitate Filtration

The plate and frame or recessed-plate filter press is widely used to recover the precipitate. Although labor intensive to
empty and put back on line, it is relatively inexpensive to install. Recent improvements on the larger filter presses now
available include plate shifters to progressively move the plates forward to facilitate emptying. The use of filter cloths or
papers between the plates can make cake release and press cleaning easier. The main alternative equipment is a candle
filter. These units have the advantage of being easy to automate and backwash. A disadvantage is that the backwashed
precipitate is a dilute slurry and a second filtration step, such as a precoat rotary drum filter, is required. A recently
proposed variation involves a polishing leaf-filter to initially recover the precipitate. The precipitate is then backwashed
and recovered in a pressure filter similar to those used to dewater flotation concentrates. This has the advantage of being
able to dry the precipitate to low moisture contents, reducing the load on downstream drying, calcining, or retorting
equipment. Other advantages are associated with security and materials handling.

6.5 Precipitate Handling and Treatment

On some of the larger plants, precipitate volumes can be large and consideration must be given to facilitating material
handling, particularly in the case of filter presses. Relatively simple conveyors, roller conveyors or trolleys, and even
storage bins can be used to transport the precipitate to drying ovens, retorts, or refining furnaces. Also, hygiene and dust
control are important as the precipitates can contain mercury. In certain operations, precipitates can have a high base-metal
content and a sulfuric, hydrochloric, or nitric acid digestion step is used to dissolve iron, copper, and other base metals. If
possible, this should be avoided, as the handling of the acids themselves, as well as the handling of the viscous acidic base-
metal solutions produced, is difficult and potentially dangerous, due to the evolution of hydrogen gas. However, recent
advances in polymeric or fiberglass materials make design and specification of this equipment easier. If the precipitates
contain mercury, then a mercury retort will be required; otherwise, drying or calcining in a tray oven is used. This could be
a batch or continuous process. Calcining refers to oxidation of the base metals in the precipitate so that they report to the
slag during refining. When correctly done and combined with an effective flux, this step can eliminate the requirement for
acid digestion.

7. DESIGN CRITERIA
The MerrilleCrowe zinc-cementation process has been applied on a wide range of metallurgical applications. Table 31.1
gives typical values, or ranges, for the main design criteria.

8. OPERATIONS
The MerrilleCrowe zinc-precipitation process has been applied worldwide on a large number of operations, both large and
small. The main geographic areas where it has found widespread, large-scale application are as follows.

8.1 South Africa

The South African gold industry underwent a large expansion during the late 19th and most of the 20th century. Until the
early 1980s most of these plants used the MerrilleCrowe process. One of the last MerrilleCrowe plants constructed was at
Anglo American’s Elandsrand mine. It used two-stage rotary-drum filtration, hopper clarification, and zinc cementation
with candle filters. The flow rate was typical of South African operations at around 400 m3/h, although some were designed
at up to 850 m3/h. The backwashed precipitate was filtered and dried on a precoated rotary-drum filter, and the filter cake
558 PART | II Unit Operations

TABLE 31.1 Typical Design Criteria for MerrilleCrowe Plants

Typical Value or Range Comments

Pregnant solution Up to 5 mg/L Au Grades are obviously variable; heap-leach
grades solutions are typically around 1 mg/L gold
while solutions from a mill may be higher
Up to 100 mg/L Ag High mercury values of up to 50 mg/L can affect
filtration of the resultant precipitate
Up to 5 mg/L Hg
Clarification filtra- 2.5e3.0 m3/h/m2 Typical values for a precoated, pressure
tion rates leaf-filter operating with body feed
Deaeration tower Large towers can be sized using 130e190 m3/h/m2
(3100e4600 m3/d/m2.) smaller towers typically use
70e85 m3/h/m2 (w2000 m3/d/m2)
Deaeration tower 3e10 kPa (absolute) is required to achieve less than The process will work at a less effective vacuum
vacuum 1 ppm O2 in solution but provision of an effective vacuum is cost-
effective over the life of an operation
De-aeration tower 1.4e2.4 Am3/h of air per m3/h of solution, or 300 Am3/h These values are applicable at sea level and
vacuum pump of air per m2 of tower area, or 15 kW/m2 of tower area high-altitude sites
Actual zinc 2e4 kg zinc per kg of precious metal and mercury to be Higher consumption values are quoted in South
addition precipitated. The requirement decreases with increasing African operations. Higher doses are often used
solution grades during startup of a filter
Lead nitrate 0e0.2 kg/kg zinc or up to 15 g/m3
addition
Precipitation filtra- 1.5e3.0 m3/h/m2 Typical values for a precoated filter press
tion rates
Precipitate grades 20e80% Au and Ag; 50% is often used for design A wide range of values is quoted. This value can
purposes; be raised in heap-leach operations by turning off
zinc addition prior to press cleanup. This con-
5e30% Zn
sumes any unused zinc in the cake residing in
Insoluble oxides, sulphates, and carbonates e 5e15% the filter press
Precipitate 50% is used for design purposes This value is affected by precipitation filter
moisture design and the use of drying air
Precipitate bulk 1.3e1.5 t/m3 at 50% moisture
density

was calcined overnight in a continuous-belt calciner. CIP plants such as President Brand have used zinc precipitation for
gold recovery from eluates as well as from solutions originating from intensive cyanidation.

8.2 Canada
A large number of the gold-processing plants that were built in the early to mid-20th century in the Kirkland Lake,
Timmins, Val d’Or, and Red Lake areas used zinc cementation. In British Columbia, zinc cementation has been repre-
sented by the Nickel Plate mine, which was built in the mid-1980s using a design developed a few years earlier. This
operation was characterized by high soluble-copper values.

8.3 United States

The major U.S. operations were heap-leach plants and milling operations, which were built mostly in Nevada such as
CoeureRochester and Paradise Peak. The original lead operation owned by Homestake used the MerrilleCrowe process,
as did some of the early Californian operations.
 Zinc Cementation Chapter | 31 559

8.4 Mexico
The MerrilleCrowe zinc-cementation process is mainly applied to silver ores (see Chapter 45). However, some gold is also
recovered using this route.

8.5 South America

South America has numerous applications using zinc-cementation, particularly in Peru. Larger recent applications operating in
the 1200 to 1500 m3/h range are Minera Barrick’s Pierina mine (1998) and Lagunas Norte (2005), both in Peru. Yanacocha and
MaquieMaqui mines, also in Peru, represent Minera Newmont. In Chile, Kinross has the La Coipa mine, and Austral has the
smaller Guanaco mine. One of the largest MerrilleCrowe plants built to date is Barrick’s Veladero mine in Argentina, which
operates in excess of its design flowrate of 2000 m3/h, and was commissioned in 2005. The planned Pascua Lama project,
located on the border of Chile and Argentina, includes a MerrilleCrowe plant with a design flowrate in excess of 7000 m3/h. It
incorporates three deaeration towers similar to the adjacent Veladero mine and it has a high silver:gold ratio in the range of
40:1. This leads to peak precious metal recoveries of approximately 20 metric tons per week. AngloGold’s Cerro Vanguardia
mine in southern Argentina includes a hybrid MerrilleCrowe and CIL circuit to recover gold and silver from oxide ore and a
two-stage countercurrent decantation circuit that provides clear solution for cyanide recovery (Botz et al., 2004).

8.6 Other
In Africa, the MerrilleCrowe process is represented by Ashanti in Ghana and numerous smaller operations. The
ZarafshaneNewmont project uses the MerrilleCrowe process at 1065 m3/h at their heap-leach project at the Muruntau
mine in Uzbekistan. Smaller MerrilleCrowe operations have operated in India, Australia, Brazil, and the Philippines.

9. ADVANCES
The three main improvements to the MerrilleCrowe process that were initiated in the 20 years following the initial pat-
enting and introduction of the process were the use of a lead salt, substitution of zinc powder in place of the zinc shavings,
and the introduction of deaeration through the use of a vacuum deaeration tower. Since these developments, the main
improvements to the process have been equipment related. Ongoing refinements have simplified operations, reduced
operating costs, and increased the size of plants.
As with other recent advances in mining and metallurgical technology, it is not only innovation that takes place but also
application of an ever-increasing scale of operation. Single-stream zinc-cementation plants now operate in excess of
2000 m3/h and other larger ones, such as Barrick’s Pascua Lama project, are planned.
The use of the basic process has been expanded to include gold recovery from carbon-stripping eluates and solutions
originating from the intensive cyanidation of gravity concentrates. The chemistry of these solutions can be similar.
Deaeration is not required on hot eluates from carbon stripping, mainly due to their lower equilibrium oxygen content.
Much higher cyanide solution strengths on the order of 2e5 g/L have been found necessary to precipitate the high gold
concentrations in eluates of 20e100 mg/L, while preventing zinc hydroxide formation. Lead nitrate is generally not
required. Zinc additions rates are closer to stoichiometric levels and the resultant precipitates are higher in gold (50e90%)
and lower in zinc (3e10%) than typical zinc precipitates (Marsden and House, 2006). Eluates subjected to electrowinning
are typically recirculated to reduce overall reagent consumption, but eluates which have been subjected to zinc cementation
generally require a bleed to reduce soluble zinc concentrations. Some eluates from satellite processing operations are
transported to a central conventional MerrilleCrowe plant and are simply bled in to the process. The volume ratios of these
solutions are often such as to make any changes in overall chemistry almost undetectable.

REFERENCES
Botz, M.M., Scola, J.C., Fueyo, R., De Moura, W., 2004. Cyanide recovery practice at cerro vanguardia. In: SME Annual Meeting 2004 Preprints,
pp. 641e644.
Hampton, A.P., 2002. Zinc cementation e the MerrilleCrowe process. In: Mular, A.L., Halbe, D.N., Barratt, D.J. (Eds.), Mineral Processing Plant
Design, Practice, and Control Proceedings. Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., Littleton, Colorado, pp. 1663e1679.
Marsden, J., House, I., 2006. The Chemistry of Gold Extraction. Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Englewood, CO, p. 682.
Viramontes Gamboa, G., Medina Noyola, M., López Valdivieso, A., 2005. Fundamental considerations on the mechanisms of silver cementation onto zinc
particles in the Merrill-Crowe process. J. Coll. Interface Sci. 282 (2), 408e414.
560 PART | II Unit Operations

Ray Walton graduated in 1977 with a B.Tech.(Hons), in Materials Science, from

Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK. He joined Anglo American Corpora-
tion of South Africa and worked in the Joint Metallurgical Scheme in the Orange
Free State, which included the original President Brand, MerrilleCrowe plant. He
then assisted in commissioning Elandsrand in the Western Transvaal, which was
Anglo’s last large MerrilleCrowe plant, and later worked at Ergo and Simmergo
on tailings retreatment until 1986. These plants included MerrilleCrowe processing
of solutions and eluates. After managing a 2-year program to develop a bacterial
gold recovery process for a refractory gold tailings retreatment project in Northern
Manitoba, he joined Kilborn Engineering of Toronto in 1987 and later became prin-
cipal metallurgist with SNC Lavalin Engineers and Constructors in Toronto Canada.
His main projects have been the high-volume Lagunas Norte and Veladero gold
heap leach projects, which both use the MerrilleCrowe process, the Barrick Gold-
strike dry grinding and roasting project, and the El Indio gold/copper/arsenic
concentrate-roasting plant upgrade project.
In 2007, he joined Barrick Gold and became senior directoreprocess design,
commissioning, tailings and water in the Capital Projects Group, a position he held
for 8 years.
Ray is currently president of Ray Walton Consulting Inc. In total, he has 38 years
of experience in process design and engineering, project management, commis-
sioning, and metallurgical plant operations. He has been responsible for corporate
oversight, feasibility studies, project evaluations, engineering, commissioning, as
well as operations on a large number of gold and copper projects around the world.
He has been directly involved in the design and development of at least five
1,000,000 oz/y gold projects.