Draslovka to Start Studies on Glycine Leaching Technology

The Czech Republic-based specialty chemicals company Draslovka announced an agreement to implement its patented glycine leaching solution in Barrick Gold’s assets. Draslovka aims to increase the mining projects’ ore recovery capacity and reduce Barrick’s carbon footprint. 

The company said Barrick Gold is to implement its GlyCat solution, an alternative leaching process, in its mining operation, starting at the Bulyanhulu Gold mine in Tanzania and then moving other mining operations around the world. Draslovka said this rollout may become a  reference point for the mining industry. 

Draslovka said it will conduct large-scale test work programs at each site to quantify the operating cost savings from the reduction of cyanide usage, which is one of the main compounds used for leaching activities. The programs will also evaluate the improvements in gold recovery and the lowering of cut-off grades. Draslovka added that these tests will allow operations to treat ore types that may have previously been economically unviable. “This agreement with Barrick marks an important milestone in Draslovka’s mission to improve the financial and environmental sustainability of mining operations worldwide. Mining is critical for the evolution of society toward lower emissions and the energy transition as a whole. GlyCat provides an innovative and sustainable solution to address concerns around supply,” Pavel Bruzek, CEO, Draslovka said. 

According to Draslovka, this agreement will set a new standard for best practices in the gold mining industry. Nowadays, recovering the most from a mining project is critical to keep up with the demand and in the case of Mexico, the lack of new concessions makes it difficult for companies to obtain ore. “Rates of major gold and copper discoveries have been in steady decline over the last decade, which when combined with a rapidly evolving set of global challenges, is resulting in global supply challenges to meet the growing global demand for such critical metals. As a result, it is imperative that the industry takes the necessary steps to maximize the value from existing mines that are already operational or currently under development,” said Simin Bottoms, Mineral Resource Management and Evaluation Executive, Barrick Gold. 

GlyCat is Draslovka’s patented glycine leaching technology for gold recovery, using a dual-lixiviant system using glycine and sodium cyanide. Glycine is a non-toxic agent, a biodegradable and recyclable amino acid widely used as a food additive. It helps in the reduction of cyanide usage and enables the treatment of previously too-costly ores. 

In an interview with MBN, Claudia Marquez, Global Commercial Director for Mining Solutions, Draslovka mentioned that its glycine leaching technology allows mining operators to reprocess tailing. “For instance, if a project in the exploration stage has a significant amount of ore stored from a long time ago, the owner can generate some cash flow from this existing ore by reprocessing it. That is what we will be focused on in Mexico for 2023 because this technology is a game-changer for mining companies. We have the capabilities to attend to this market’s needs since we have the strongest supply chain for sodium cyanide.”