Refractory and Non-Refractory OreIn general, refractory ore is one that is not amenable to gold extraction using cyanide. Refractory ore is undesirable because the methods needed to enable gold extraction are expensive.
Non-refractory ore is where cyanide can be used to extract the gold. This is desirable as it means the process will be cheaper. Refractory and Non-refractory are relative terms, and the degree to which any ore is amenable to cyanide extraction will range from near 0% through to near 100%. Whether gold is refractory or non-refractory has a huge bearing on a potential mine's viability. A deposit with a resource similar or larger than that of existing mines, could be rendered un-viable if testwork identifies that the ore is refractory. This means that when looking at resources a company maybe quoting, it is not enough to take note of the grade, but we must consider the processing as an integral part of any project's economics. |