A world-first process developed in Brisbane to treat difficult and complex
mineral orebodies is now being marketed to global mining companies.
The Albion Process, named after the suburb in Brisbane where miner Xstrata
conducts research and developed this new approach to recovering metals from
such ores, has been patented in 45 countries worldwide.
Some refractory ores present treatment problems which can stem from the fineness of the grains of metal ore they contain. The Albion Process uses ultrafine grinding to recover the ore and then recovers base and precious metals through leaching.
The process has been successfully tested on more than 70 different ores and mineral concentrates from all around the world.
Metals that can be economically recovered from refractory ores (ores that are difficult to treat) include gold, copper, zinc and lead.
“Base and precious metals are increasingly sourced from refractory ores,” Joe Pease, general manager of Xstrata Technology said.
“Our process offers a simple, more cost-effective solution for many refractory ores than alternative processes like roasting, pressure or bacterial oxidisation.
“Xstrata thinks the best way to support further development of technology is to make it commercially available. We believe the Albion Process will have a wide commercial appeal, given its competitive advantages.”
The process is owned by Xstrata and a partnership between another Queensland-based company, Highlands Pacific, and a Japanese consortium. Albion is marketed internationally by another Queensland company, Core Resources.
www.albionprocess.com
Last reviewed 19 January 2006