Identification of the Microorganisms Enhancing Cyanide Degradation during Gold Recovery from a Heap Leach Operation

New Golds Mesquite金矿在堆浸作业中消耗了大量氰化物。因此，该工艺不能依赖于未利用的氰化物的稳定流，这些氰化物可以再循环到堆中以进一步回收金。因此，维持黄金生产所需的几乎所有游离氰化物都必须以氰化钠的形式购买，这对公司来说是一项重大的年度支出。由商业环境实验室进行的先前研究确定，存在于堆矿石或补充工艺水中的微生物或一组微生物负责提高氰化物的消耗率。在这个项目中，我们将确定微生物是负责氰化物生物降解在堆浸现场。还将制定一项抑制生物降解的方案，并传达给公司。该项目的一个潜在后续项目将是开发一种生物处理氰化物污染尾矿的技术。

New Golds Mesquite gold mine is experiencing significant cyanide consumption at its heap leach operation. As a result, the process cannot rely on a steady stream of unutilized cyanide that can be recycled to the heap for further gold recovery. Consequently, nearly all of the free cyanide required to sustain gold production must be purchased as a make-up requirement in the form of sodium cyanide, which is a significant annual expenditure for the company. A previous study, conducted by a commercial environmental laboratory, determined that microbes, or a group of microbes, present in the heap ore, or make-up process water, are responsible for enhancing the rate of consumption of cyanide. In this project, we will identify the microbes that are responsible for cyanide biodegradation at the heap leach site. A protocol to suppress biodegradation will also be developed and communicated to the company. A potential follow-on to this project will be the development of a technology to biologically treat cyanide contaminated tailings.