Precious metal heap leaching had its origin in Nevada, and many technologies, including agglomeration of precious metal ores, were developed by scientists and engineers in Reno. There are many precious metal heap leach projects in Nevada and it also has one copper leach project. Nevada’s neighboring state of Arizona is a leader in copper heap leaching. The University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Arizona in Tucson have been active in heap leach research for a number of decades. Many professionals with extensive design, operating, and closure experience in precious and copper heap leaching live in the region, making Reno the ideal location for this conference.
THEMES
- Project development
- Metallurgical and geotechnical testing of ores
- Project alternatives development
- Complex ore bodies, e.g. copper and gold
- Design and evaluation of facilities (heap leach pads, ponds, SX-EW, carbon, and Merrill-Crowe)
- Operations
- Ore stacking
- Leachate applications
- Leachate collection and conveyance
- Metal recovery
- Operational optimization
- Solution balance
- Closure
- Rinsing of heaps
- Covers
- Solution management
- Long-term maintenance
- Nickel, uranium and other metal leaching
- Lixiviants
- Design and operating experience
- Material behavior under leach
- Unsaturated flow
- Material characterization
- Modeling
- Operational monitoring
- New technologies
- Processing
- Liners
- Solution treatment
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This conference is relevant to everyone engaged in the development, design and construction of heap leach projects. Mining company personnel, academia, personnel from consulting and engineering companies, regulatory personnel and the financial institutions will find this conference of great interest. The range of technical expertise includes hydrometallurgy, process engineering, geotechnical and hydrogeological engineering, hydrologists, geochemists, biogeochemistry, water treatment, reclamation specialists, etc.
SHORT COURSES
The Organizing Committee invites interested parties to submit proposals for short courses to be held prior to the main conference. The short courses will take place on Sunday, September 13, 2015.
Proposals are due by March 1, 2015.
Please send your course proposal to heapleach@infomine.com.
COMMITTEES
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Co-ChairDirk van ZylUniversity of British Columbia and InfoMine, Canada
Conference ManagerOlga CherepanovaInfoMine, Canada
Conference CoordinatorSusana PerezInfoMine, Canada
PAST CONFERENCES
