Gold: A Precious Commodity with Global Significance
Gold has long held a unique place in our global economy - not just as a luxury item, but as a store of value, a strategic asset and a critical component of modern industry. As geopolitical and economic uncertainty increases, so too has gold’s role as a safe-haven asset also increased; but beyond investment, security and jewelry, gold, with its excellent conductivity and resistance to corrosion, also plays an important role in today’s modern world, from electronics to aerospace, medical devices and even digital technologies.
TAKRAF Group Capabilities in Gold
We can assist with various equipment, leveraging our two leading global product brands, TAKRAF and DELKOR. We provide solutions across each of the generic value chain steps below.
Gold: TAKRAF Group Capabilities by Process
- Conveyors & Feeders (employed across the entire value chain)
- Conveyors – Note: All conveyor types, from regular belt to tube (pipe) or even overland conveyors, with or without advanced Gearless Conveyor Drive (GCD) technologies – in fact, TAKRAF is currently the only Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) with GCD references in operation.
- Feeders (including apron, belt)
- Belt wagons and mobile transfer conveyors
- Conveyor bridges
- Mining:
- Comminution:
- Crushing:
- Crushing plants – Note: TAKRAF Crushing Plants can include our TAKRAF X-TREME Class Sizer or 3rd party crushing technologies
- IPCC systems
- Sizers (including X-TREME Class)
- Grinding:
- HPGRs – Note: TAKRAF HPGRs are offered as an alternative to traditional mills.
- HPGRs – Note: TAKRAF HPGRs are offered as an alternative to traditional mills.
- Crushing:
- Concentration:
- Flotation:
- Dewatering:
- Filtration:
- Extractive Metallurgy:
- Filtration:
- Leach:
- Heap leach stacking
- Heap leach reclaiming
- “Ripios” conveying and dumping (with tripper car and spreader)
- SX/EW: Tenova Advanced Technologies (TAT) – Note: Provided, by a sister Tenova group company. TAT boast significant hydrometallurgical experience in Solvent Extraction (SX) and Electrowinning (EW) with proprietary equipment such as the Tenova Mixer Settler and Tenova Pulsed Column.
- Tailings Management:
Gold Mining in Southern Africa: A Case Study of Gold and PGM Flotation
In 2023, TAKRAF Group received an important order for the installation of fourteen DELKOR BQR Flotation Cells for a gold and Platinum Group Metal (PGM) operation in Southern Africa. These flotation cells, equipped with our proprietary MAXGen mechanism achieve superior metallurgical performance and assist in maximizing metal recovery. These cells achieve such optimum operation through improved particle-bubble interaction, faster flotation kinetics and precise froth level controls. The flotation circuit comprises nine BQR 500 and five BQR 700 cells, making it, at the time, the largest flotation cell installation that DELKOR has supplied to the gold and PGM sector.
Challenges and Requirements
Gold mine production faces complex geological, technical, environmental and social challenges.
- Geological and Technical Requirements: Gold deposits vary widely in grade, depth and geological complexity, which directly affects the mining method employed and hence costs. Declining ore grades also imply more material must be mined and processed to extract the same amount of gold, increasing energy use and costs even further. This is where our efficient and technically superior TAKRAF mining and/or material handling equipment can really make the difference; as well as our DELKOR products, including our DELKOR BQR flotation cells that achieve superior metallurgical performance and assist in maximizing metal recoveries.
- Processing and Metallurgical Requirements: Turning ore into refined gold involves multiple energy and chemical-intensive steps. Efficient processing demands reliable water and power supply, well-designed tailings facilities and skilled metallurgical management to ensure safety and recovery optimization. This is another area where our TAKRAF comminution solutions and/or our DELKOR processing and dewatering solutions can really make the difference and assist in getting the most from your ore.
- Environmental and Tailings Management: TAKRAF Group’s Dry Stack Tailings (DST) systems can provide for the safe and effective management of gold tailings and offer a number of advantages to other surface tailings storage options – these include (amongst others):
- Significant safety improvements
- Reduced water requirements, principally achieved by recycling process water
- Virtual elimination of groundwater contamination through seepage
- Smaller tailings footprint and can be used in “aggressive surroundings” (e.g. undulating or steep)
- Significantly enhanced regulator and public perceptions
- Easier to close and rehabilitate
- Sustainable Production: The gold sector, just like other mining sectors, is under growing pressure to reduce its environmental footprint and demonstrate sustainability leadership. This centers around important topics such as responsible sourcing, automation adoption & digital mine management and the reduction in carbon footprint, including low-emission technologies which help to improve operational efficiency and also safety.
Gold – Some Insight:
Gold Key Facts
- Chemical symbol for gold: Au
- World gold mine production (2024p*): 3,300
- Gold mine production, top 3 countries: China, Australia and Canada
Value in tons; p = preliminary; * = rounded.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Gold Relevance
Gold’s dual role - as an industrial commodity and as a financial asset - gives it a strategic importance that most other metals lack. It remains one of the world’s most important and enduring commodities, valued for its economic stability, industrial utility and cultural significance.
- Store of Value: Gold has maintained its worth over centuries, acting as a reliable hedge against inflation and currency fluctuations.
- Financial Security, Trade and Investment: Central banks and investors hold gold as a safe-haven asset during economic uncertainty. Gold is also a key component of international trade, investment portfolios and commodity markets.
- Industrial Use: The metal’s excellent conductivity and resistance to corrosion make gold vital in electronics, aerospace and medical devices.
- Jewelry Demand: A major portion of global gold consumption comes from the jewelry sector, reflecting cultural and social significance.
- Cultural Importance: Across civilizations, gold has symbolized power, purity and prosperity, maintaining strong cultural and religious values.
Recycling
Since gold can be melted and reused indefinitely without losing purity, the recycling of gold can play an important supply role while reducing the environmental impact of mining. The process of recycling gold, as is the case with other recycling processes, requires far less energy and generates fewer emissions than primary extraction, helping to conserve natural resources and reduce waste.
Key Takeaways
Gold mining remains essential to our global economy, providing the raw material for finance, technology, and jewelry. However, the sector faces increasing challenges such as declining ore grades, environmental pressures and higher production costs. As such, the gold mining industry’s future depends on adopting responsible mining practices, sustainable technologies and community engagement to ensure long-term value creation.