Boroo Gold LLC recently hosted a seminar on the use of geo membrane materials to explain its heap leaching technology to miners and also to promote it among the public. The emphasis was on the environmental and economic benefits of the technology that was first studied and tested by Boroo Gold in 2006, with pilot operations being completed in 2009.
The heap leach process uses low-grade ore that would ordinarily be considered waste and stacks it on geo-membrane material to recover gold with a dissolving solution. The technology is widely used in China, Russia and Kazakhstan. The process does use cyanide, but specialists say its proper use causes no harm.
Boroo Gold officials say the Specialized Minerals Council has approved use of the technology, but the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, D. Zorigt, has not yet given his assent, nor has he given any specific reason for his stance. The company assured participants at the seminar that the safety of its employees, 97 per cent of whom are Mongolian, and the environment are two of its highest priorities.