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Bateman brings BIOX on board
Steve Burks
Jan van Niekerk
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Bateman's $8,84m acquisition of Gold Fields' BIOX technology business is further evidence of the company's ongoing drive to grow the company through acquiring firms with patented technological advances. Bateman chief technology officer, Steve Burks, and newly appointed BIOX technology manager, Jan van Niekerk, talk about what BIOX means for Bateman.
The BIOX technology is expected to broaden the company's position in the gold industry, where environment-friendly, cost-saving plant implementations and technologies are becoming increasingly attractive.
"Five BIOX plants have been commissioned in the last three years - clearly indicating the appeal associated with the technology," says Van Niekerk.
According to Burks and Van Niekerk, Gold Fields took a decision to sell the BIOX business early in 2008. Bateman successfully won the tender, after being short-listed with a few other interested parties.
Several years ago, Bateman had designed gold and base metal plants using a competing bacterial oxidation leaching process.
"The two processes are very similar, meaning Bateman is ready to put the BIOX technology into operation immediately," Burks adds.
While the technology acquisition gives Bateman the exclusive right to sell the technical supply package, Burks believes there is an opportunity for the EPCM house to include plant detailed design and construction management as well.
"The technology does remain available to customers wishing to use other engineering houses for project implementation but under these circumstances Bateman would receive an initial licence fee for providing the technology package, as well as royalty payments after gold production commences," Burks adds.
Van Niekerk, previously Gold Fields' senior metallurgical consultant for refractory ores, joined Bateman as an integral part of the acquisition, bringing a small group of Gold Fields BIOX specialists with him.
The team will oversee the Bateman refractory gold process technology department based in SA, which the company intends to quickly become a centre of excellence. The group is currently working on four BIOX packages, two expansions and two new projects.
The first expansion project is on the Suzdal BIOX plant, owned by Kazakhstan joint stock company, Alel-FIC, where the BIOX technology is currently in use processing sulphate material for gold extraction. This expansion will more than double the current capacity of the plant.
The second expansion project is in Uzbekistan, where Bateman does have an established office. Burks says it is too early at this stage to identify the two new BIOX projects with which Bateman is involved, but points out that the company is becoming increasingly active in west and central Africa, as well as the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States).
While the frequency of new gold projects continues to be quite low, Van Niekerk explains that there are a number of existing gold mines whose open-cast oxide ore reserves are close to depletion.
This means they will be looking to develop the underlying sulphide ores, which often requires pre-treatment of the sulphide if the ore is refractory. BIOX plants become a viable process option at this stage.
BIOX plants run at lower temperatures than competing technologies, reducing operating costs. They are environmentally friendly and are easy to operate - a key advantage when considering the lack of skills in the industry, particularly in developing countries and low operator skills available in remote locations.
Bateman's attention to BIOX as a preferred gold processing solution does not detract from or lessen its capabilities in delivering or advising on all methods of gold extraction, which also include pressure leaching and roasting.
Says Burks: "Because we understand the range of process methods, we are best capable of being able to offer our clients the best solution and cost comparisons across the different process solutions."
As part of the technology acquisition, a second technology first developed several years ago is included. The technology, which is currently being commercialised, is expected to result in a more efficient process for removing cyanide and thiocyanate from waste solutions.
Van Niekerk says the technology is currently being tested in two pilot plants, one based at an operating BIOX plant and one based at a conventional gold recovery plant.
If the decision is approved to make the technology commercially available, it will be useful in cyanide destruction for the treatment of residue solutions from conventional gold plants.
It will again have low operating costs, as it uses no reagents, Van Niekerk adds.
Burks says that bacterial leaching technology can be used in base metal projects, however the BIOX patents do not include base metal treatment processes.
"We have not really factored using the technology outside of gold at this stage," Burks reveals.
The company is, however, looking at using the BIOX technology for projects which comprise a gold and copper component for example.
In projects such as these, common in Africa and South America, recovering gold from pyrite can be difficult and not always viable.
BIOX is a ready solution to this problem, with the ability to enable gold recoveries up to 90% by liberating the gold from the host pyrite mineral so that it can be recovered by conventional gold leaching methods.
TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY
In line with the company's strategic ambitions to enhance its proprietary technologies, it remains focused on seeking out further alliance opportunities to enhance its technology profile.
"We are investigating a number of potential alliances," says Burks. "Acquisitions are a faster way to achieve our goals, and have better financial returns in the long run, but are not easy to conclude in the current economic environment."
Towards the end of last year, Bateman finalised the acquisition of international minerals processing group Delkor (which excludes SA-based GKD Delkor).
The deal added horizontal belt filters and linear screens to the Bateman portfolio, as well as a thickener range.
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