Old Mine / New Mine-The new Process Plant would probably be using chemicals, consentrate solutioins and reagents like :- Sodium Silicate, Sodium Carbonate, Pine Oil, Butyl Xanthate, Copper Sulphate, Kerosene, some acids and other goodies.
-Which would then be mixed and pumped to the various flotation circuits to extract the products.
-After use liquids are neutralised and reused else where, (most likely the Mill grinding process).
-Safe waste tailings is pumped into old unused shafts in underground mine.
-The whole Mill and Process Plants will be fully contained in a concrete bund to ensure spillages do not contaminate local water ways.
-The old Process Plant no longer exists, (only the building shell) but might have used a harsher method of extraction (acid leach) which I doubt, or more likely a similar one to todays methods, but less safe guards for the environment. I just don't know.
-They also seemed to smelt the metals on site, due to the presence of old furnaces / smoke stacks.
-This new Plant has to operate and last for,(possibly) 30+ years, with many tweeks and upgrades along the way.
-And who knows what is below the bottom flooded level ??? Another 20+ years of ore ??? I guess we'll find out when / if the mine gets fully drained, and please don't think the draining process is a big deal. It,s a simple operation to set up and run 24/7 and is used through out the wolds mines, (Power Off : mine floods, Power On :mine drains).
-Either way you would still need to build a new Grinding and Process Plant from scratch, and original Plant drawings probably don't exist any more and will not meet current safety / engineering standards.
-I'm still amazed at the extent of the underground works carried out by the previous operators in those early days.
I don't think the word "safety" ment much back then, as the first people to enter the mine after so many years discovered, i.e. rickety wooden stairs, ladders, knotted ropes, no handrails or guarding etc.
-I have been quiet on the board lately, due to the amount of number and percentage crunching going on, (way out of my league) but still waiting patiently for some serious Hard Rock Crunching to start.
-I've never been to Korea and I'm not involved with Woulfe / Almonty on this latest new version of mine / feasabilty plan.
-There are things that should be happening now, (I presume) that are not being passed on to us, such as :- above ground site plan layouts, structural / civil engineering / drafting, infrustructure planing, mergers, table talks with Korean / IMC parties, etc.
It's a very long list and all involved will be working flat out to meet dead lines, with no time to chat untill everything is signed and 100% sure, (probably no point in giving unsure information, when it's much safer to give no information untill your sure).
I hope this helps others.
-Correct me if I'm wrong, but does the Muguk site have an existing Town / Community above it that would need to be relocated ?
Thanks in advance.
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