BQE's third SART plant in China begins full production

Executive Summary

• BQE Water Inc. has advanced its third SART (sulphidization, acidification, recycling and thickening) plant in China to full production.
• The facility was designed for Shandong Gold, the largest gold producer in China, and replaces an existing acidification-volatilization-recovery (AVR) plant with higher operating costs.
• BQE will provide operation support services for an initial term of five years to ensure performance targets are met, including metal production, cyanide recovery, and sulphate reduction.

Key Details

• Project Status: The Shandong Gold SART plant has entered full production following successful commissioning by the BQE China team.
• Contract Terms: BQE will provide operation support services for an initial term of five years.
• Performance Targets: The support services aim to ensure the plant meets targets for metal production, cyanide recovery, and reduction in sulphate concentrations from prior buildup.
• Technical Function: The SART plant recovers and recycles cyanide in the gold leaching process while recovering copper and zinc in high-grade metal concentrates.
• Replacement Context: This new plant replaces an existing AVR plant that suffered from higher operating costs and sodium sulphate buildup that interfered with metallurgical processes.
• Regional Footprint: This is the third SART plant BQE has implemented in China; the company has been providing continuing operation support services for the other two plants since 2022.
• Market Context: Shandong province accounts for approximately 40% of China's total gold production, with annual output exceeding 160 tonnes (5.6 million troy ounces) in 2023.
• Industry Trends: The company highlights increasing global regulations on residual cyanide and byproducts (ammonia, cyanate, thiocyanate, nitrite), driving demand for cyanide recovery and recycling to secure social licenses and permitting.

Notable Quotes

• "The successful delivery of the Shandong Gold SART plant further solidifies our leadership position in the cyanide management space in the gold industry, not only in China but globally," said David Kratochvil, president and chief executive officer of BQE Water.
• "With the gold price reaching historical highs, we expect demand for our cyanide management technical services to continue to grow in the gold mining and smelting sector." — David Kratochvil
• "In addition to strengthening our leading global position in applying SART technology, our ability to meet Shandong Gold's expectations for the SART plant to reduce operating costs and address the ultrahigh copper concentrations in the feed showcase BQE's technical depths and capabilities." — Songlin Ye, vice-president for Asia at BQE Water