DRDGOLD hoping new technology will improve gold recovery
Original announcement by miningweekly on
- Company
- DRDGOLD
- Ticker
- Unavailable
- Exchange
- Unavailable
- Region
- Johannesburg
- Primary commodity
- Gold
- Secondary commodities
- None reported
- Document categories
- Metallurgy
- Extracted
- 2026-08-27 08:33:18 UTC
Analysis by Minestarters Atlas
Minestarters Atlas analysis
Summary
DRDGOLD is proceeding with the construction of an Aztec up-flow reactor (UFR) at its Far West Gold Recoveries DP 2 plant following successful pilot plant testwork. The technology aims to improve gold recovery rates and reduce cyanide consumption, though the company is withholding guidance updates until real-world performance is demonstrated.
Reasoning: The company is moving from successful pilot plant testwork to building an Aztec up-flow reactor to improve gold recovery, though real-world performance remains unproven.
Positive factors
- pilot plant testwork showed promise
- potential for improved gold recovery
- potential for reduced cyanide consumption
Negative factors
- technology not yet tested in real-world conditions
- no impact on guidance/forecasts until real-world numbers are seen
Facts used in scoring: 1
Classification and evidence
Pilot Scale Completepositive
Pilot or demonstration plant testing completed under continuous operation.
Why it applies: The CEO confirmed the company has completed proper pilot plant testwork which showed good promise.
Evidence · text
“we're very happy with the pilot work, which was not laboratory-scale testwork but proper pilot plant testwork”
Mill Routeneutral
Processing via mill or concentrator (CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation).
Why it applies: The process involves a carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant and an up-flow reactor.
Evidence · text
“Once the gold-bearing material has gone through the carbon-in-leach plant, it goes into the up-flow reactor.”
Extracted facts
Stored fact records: 1. Some facts used in scoring do not have a stored record.
Metallurgical Results (1)
pilot plantgoldView all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- gold
Test Work
- Program Status
- preliminary
- Test Type
- pilot plant
- Processing Route
- carbon-in-leach plant followed by up-flow reactor
- Sample
- pilot plant testwork using up-flow reactor (UFR)
Reagents
- Reagent Notes
- aims to cut cyanide consumption by optimising interaction between gold particles, leaching reagents, and activated carbon
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-08-27T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Successful pilot work justifies the move to build a reactor, but real-world efficacy is still an unknown variable.
Positive factors
- pilot plant testwork showed good promise
Negative factors
- technology has not been tested in real-world conditions
Evidence · text
“we're very happy with the pilot work, which was not laboratory-scale testwork but proper pilot plant testwork”
How Atlas produces this analysis
Minestarters Atlas uses automated extraction to summarize mining announcements, identify reported measurements, and classify supporting evidence. Sentiment reflects the extracted narrative and classification rules; it is an interpretation, not a reported measurement. Evidence quotes and context are provided where available. Missing data, low-confidence results, and review flags indicate limitations. Check the original publisher announcement before relying on an interpretation.