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08.13
tailings
T
he reprocessing of tailings resources to ex-
tract both uranium and gold by mining com-
panies has become an attractive proposition,
says Francois Marais, Strategic Advisor: Engineering
Principal at Golder Associates. “The focus of recov-
The
changing face
of
tailings retreatment
Pictured (left to right) are Aidan Gotz, Operations Director, tailings division at Fraser
Alexander; Francois Marais, Strategic Advisor: Engineering Principal at Golder Asso
ciates; and Mike Abbott, Tailings Engineer at Golder Associates.
The face of the tailings sector in South Africa is undergoing a series of changes brought about by economic,
financial and political imperatives impacting on both new and existing tailings facilities. The high costs of
deep level mining, combined with low recoveries, fractious labour and what some industry insiders view as
an unsympathetic government, have resulted in some mining houses exploring alternative avenues to main-
tain margins and to unlock profits in substantial volumes of legacy tailings. In this article
Modern Mining’s
Blake Wilkins looks at the tailings field and talks to some industry experts.
ery from tailings has shifted from the East Rand to
the West Rand. The 83 million ton Cooke tailings
dump has the highest grade of surface uranium on
the West Rand and although the price of uranium
is low at present, the price will be driven upwards
substantially by the international
demand for power station fuel.
Investment in a new uranium ex-
traction plant is feasible.”
The Gold One Group – now
owned by a consortium of Chi-
nese investors – purchased the
Cooke tailings dump and the
Cooke 1, 2 and 3 mines from
Rand Uranium at the beginning
of 2012 with the intention of re-
covering uranium, gold and sul-
phur from the tailings dump. The
company estimates that 0,8 mil-
lion ounces of gold and 34 mil-
lion pounds of uranium will be
