Sodium Cyanide Replacement: TAS96 Evaluation for Gold Mines
A sodium cyanide replacement is an alternative reagent used to dissolve gold during leaching. Suitability depends on ore mineralogy, the recovery circuit, documented hazards and site testing. TAS96 is marketed for this application, but its suitability for a particular mine must be established before a commercial change.
Assessing TAS96 for a gold operation in Africa or Australia? Send CAMAL your ore type, processing method, daily throughput, current reagent consumption, delivery destination and required delivery date. Discuss product documentation, manufacturer checks and trial requirements before ordering. Payment terms are TT only.
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What Can Replace Sodium Cyanide in Gold Mining?
Alternatives investigated for gold leaching include thiosulphate, thiourea, halide-based systems and commercial gold dressing agents. These options differ in chemistry, gold recovery requirements and operating constraints. A product sold as a sodium cyanide alternative should not automatically be described as cyanide-free or suitable for an existing plant.
| Option | Evidence to review | Main buying question |
|---|---|---|
| Thiosulphate-based process | Ore-specific test results, downstream recovery design and implementation evidence. | What changes would the complete flowsheet require? |
| Thiourea-based process | Reagent stability, consumption, recovery performance and hazard documentation. | Does the complete process meet the mine’s technical and cost requirements? |
| Halide-based process | Leaching and recovery evidence, materials compatibility and treatment requirements. | Can the existing equipment and downstream circuit accommodate the process? |
| Commercial gold dressing agent, including TAS96 | Verified product identity, current SDS, batch specification and tests using the offered formulation. | Does the documented product perform acceptably on the mine’s ore? |
CSIRO’s cyanide-free gold recovery programme describes a thiosulphate-based process supported by testing and flowsheet development. It also identifies additional components and configuration changes. This illustrates why selecting an alternative reagent involves more than substituting one purchased chemical for another.
A comparative study of alternative gold-leaching reagents examines dissolution under controlled conditions. Its pure-gold experiments help explain differences between reagents, but they do not replace tests on a mine’s actual ore.
TAS96 Product Identity and Documentation
TAS96 is listed by CamaChem as a gold dressing agent and sodium cyanide replacement. Review the CamaChem TAS96 product listing as a starting point, then request the current documents for the exact grade and formulation offered. A commercial listing alone does not establish independent performance or hazard classification.
What Documents Should Buyers Request?
- Current safety data sheet: Product identity, composition information, hazards, handling, storage and transport classification.
- Technical specification: Agreed product characteristics, acceptance limits and applicable analytical methods.
- Batch certificate of analysis: Results linked to the manufacturing batch being offered.
- Manufacturer details: Legal identity, manufacturing location and product traceability.
- Performance report: Ore characteristics, test method, reagent identity, results and limitations.
- Packaging and shipment documents: Labels, package specification and classification consistent with the current SDS.
Check consistency: The product name, grade, manufacturer and batch references should agree across the quotation, SDS, specification, labels and analysis certificate. Resolve conflicting composition or hazard information before accepting a sample or placing an order.
Does Replacement Mean Cyanide-Free?
No. “Sodium cyanide replacement” describes a proposed substitution, not a verified chemical composition. Claims such as cyanide-free, non-hazardous or lower toxicity require evidence for the specific formulation and its intended use.
WorkSafe WA’s Mines Safety Bulletin No. 130 describes an unnamed replacement reagent containing cyanide despite its presentation as an environmentally friendly alternative. The bulletin does not identify TAS96. Its relevance to buyers is the need to verify composition, labelling and transport documentation independently of marketing language.
Published Ghana CIP Test Results: What They Establish
The figures below are reported in CNLITE’s Ghana CIP case study, published in 2018. That source describes a 300-tonne-per-day operation and identifies CNLITE’s environmental gold-leaching reagent. These are third-party reported results, not a TAS96 test report or evidence of a CAMAL customer project.
| Reagent identified by the source | Gold in leaching residue (g/t) | Gold leaching rate (%) | Gold adsorption rate (%) | Gold recovery (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNLITE environmental gold-leaching reagent | 0.32 | 84.24 | 99.71 | 83.99 |
| Sodium cyanide | 0.34 | 83.25 | 99.59 | 82.91 |
Interpretation: The reported recovery difference is 1.08 percentage points. This comparison applies to the conditions and reagents described by the source. It does not establish equivalent results for TAS96, a different ore or another plant.
The table does not establish reagent-cost savings, elimination of detoxification, improved community relations or environmental certification. Those outcomes would require separate evidence.
Can a Sodium Cyanide Alternative Work in CIP, CIL or Heap Leaching?
Potential compatibility must be established for the complete process. Results from one CIP operation do not establish suitability for every CIP, CIL or heap-leach circuit.
| Process | How the circuit differs | What to validate |
|---|---|---|
| CIP: carbon-in-pulp | Gold leaching precedes the main activated-carbon adsorption stages. | Leaching performance, carbon adsorption, downstream gold recovery and residue treatment. |
| CIL: carbon-in-leach | Leaching and activated-carbon adsorption take place together. | Interaction between the reagent, ore and carbon throughout the circuit. |
| Heap leaching | Leaching liquid passes through a prepared ore heap. | Representative column-test performance, permeability, recovery over time and solution management. |
Ask the mine’s metallurgical team to assess ore response, downstream gold recovery, materials compatibility and residue treatment through a site-approved test programme. Identify any required plant changes before placing a bulk order.
Testing Before a Reagent Change
Approve a sodium cyanide replacement against written technical, environmental and commercial criteria. Tests should use representative ore and the exact formulation proposed for purchase.
- Define the baseline. Record current recovery, reagent consumption, throughput, operating costs and treatment requirements over a representative period.
- Review product identity and hazards. Resolve documentation gaps and agree sample handling with the site’s responsible technical and safety personnel.
- Agree a test programme. Use a qualified metallurgical laboratory and document the ore sample, methods, analytical work and comparison criteria.
- Assess the complete recovery circuit. Evaluate both gold dissolution and downstream recovery rather than relying on leaching rate alone.
- Review residues and water. Establish treatment, monitoring and disposal requirements using relevant analyses and site obligations.
- Make a scale-up decision. Review repeatability, ore variability and required plant changes before authorising a controlled site trial.
- Release a commercial order only after acceptance. Link the approved formulation and quality requirements to the purchase contract.
A practical acceptance record should answer: What was tested? Which ore was used? Who performed the work? How was gold recovery calculated? Which costs were included? What limitations remain?
Planning an evaluation? Share your existing test reports and acceptance criteria with CAMAL so the sourcing discussion starts with the product and documentation your mine needs.
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Compare Total Operating Costs, Not Price per Tonne Alone
A lower reagent purchase price does not necessarily mean a lower cost of gold production. Compare costs over the same ore basis and reporting period, using measured consumption and recovery.
| Cost or performance input | Evidence required |
|---|---|
| Delivered reagent cost | Dated quotation with currency, quantity, named delivery point and applicable Incoterm. |
| Consumption per tonne of ore | Measured consumption from representative testing or an accepted operating trial. |
| Gold recovered | Complete recovery results and the corresponding ore feed characteristics. |
| Supporting inputs | Changes in other chemicals, utilities, labour and consumables. |
| Treatment and monitoring | Site-specific residue, water, analytical and disposal requirements. |
| Transition costs | Testing, training, plant modifications, commissioning and any production disruption. |
| Inventory and logistics | Freight, classification, storage, customs costs and required stock cover. |
Calculation: Reagent cost per tonne of ore equals delivered reagent cost per kilogram multiplied by measured reagent consumption in kilograms per tonne of ore. Add other operating costs and assess any change in recovered gold separately.
Do not apply a general saving percentage to a new mine without supporting data. Request a written comparison showing its assumptions, exclusions and sensitivity to ore variability.
Information CAMAL Needs for a TAS96 Enquiry
CAMAL connects industrial buyers with Chinese manufacturers and manages agreed sourcing activities. For a mining-reagent enquiry, provide the information below so the product requirements, verification work and delivery scope can be defined.
- Buyer and operation: Company name, mine location, business email and your technical or purchasing role.
- Ore information: Ore type, available mineralogy, feed characteristics and existing metallurgical reports.
- Processing circuit: CIP, CIL, heap leaching or another process, including relevant downstream recovery stages.
- Operating scale: Daily throughput, current reagent consumption and expected purchase quantity.
- Evaluation stage: Initial document review, laboratory testing, site trial or an approved commercial requirement.
- Acceptance criteria: Recovery, product quality, hazard documentation and treatment requirements.
- Delivery requirement: Destination port or site, required date and preferred delivery scope.
- Commercial basis: Order value, quotation requirements and TT payment stages to be agreed.
Review how CAMAL manages manufacturer verification, inspection and delivery before defining your sourcing scope. CAMAL’s commercial sourcing role should be distinguished from the mine’s responsibility for metallurgical acceptance and operational approval.
For a separate example of the company’s work with mining chemicals, read CAMAL’s mining-chemical sourcing case study. Results involving other reagents or operations do not establish TAS96 performance.
Ordering and Delivery Checks Before Paying a TT Deposit
A purchase order should identify exactly what will be manufactured, checked and delivered. Keep technical acceptance and commercial release conditions in writing.
- Product: Exact trade name, manufacturer, formulation or grade reference and approved specification.
- Quantity and packaging: Net weight, package size, packaging material, labels and batch traceability.
- Quality checks: Sampling method, test laboratory, acceptance limits and arrangements for non-conforming material.
- Documents: Current SDS, batch analysis, packing list and shipment documents appropriate to the product and route.
- Delivery: Named destination, Incoterm, production schedule and transit assumptions.
- Payment: TT only, with payment stages, beneficiary details and release conditions confirmed in the contract.
- Repeat orders: Change notification requirements for formulation, manufacturing location or specification.
Confirm the quoted packaging and shipment classification against current product documents. Do not assume that a trade name, a previous shipment or a product photograph establishes suitability for the proposed route.
Have an approved requirement? Send CAMAL your specification, quantity, destination and required date to define manufacturer verification, inspection and delivery requirements.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can TAS96 Replace Sodium Cyanide in Every Gold Mine?
Suitability must be established for the ore and recovery circuit. Results from another mine cannot replace site-specific testing.
Does Sodium Cyanide Replacement Mean Cyanide-Free?
No. The term describes a proposed substitution, not a verified composition. Check the product’s current SDS and appropriate analytical evidence.
Are the Ghana CIP Results Above TAS96 Results?
No. The cited source attributes those figures to CNLITE’s environmental gold-leaching reagent. They should not be presented as TAS96 performance or a CAMAL customer result.
Will a Replacement Reagent Work with Existing Equipment?
That requires a site-specific assessment. Review leaching, downstream recovery, materials compatibility and residue treatment before deciding whether equipment changes are necessary.
Will Changing Reagent Remove the Need for Detoxification?
Do not assume so. Treatment requirements depend on the product, ore, process residues, water quality and applicable site obligations. Establish them through technical assessment and relevant analyses.
What Information Does CAMAL Need for an Enquiry?
Provide ore type, processing method, throughput, current reagent consumption, purchase quantity, delivery destination and required delivery date. Include available test reports and product acceptance criteria.
What Payment Terms Apply?
CAMAL works on TT payment terms. Confirm the payment stages and commercial conditions in the quotation and purchase contract.
Choosing a Sodium Cyanide Replacement for Your Mine
Start with documented product identity and a representative test programme. Evaluate recovery, complete operating costs, hazards and treatment requirements before selecting TAS96 or another sodium cyanide alternative. Move to a commercial order only when the mine’s technical team has accepted the product and the purchase specification matches the approved material.
For CAMAL’s sourcing review, send your technical requirements, expected quantity and delivery destination using the WhatsApp button above or the contact options below.
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