:: SGS is Recipient of MetSoc Innovation Award in Recognition of SART Process

SGS Canada Inc. (SGS) is honoured to be the 2015 recipient of the prestigious Metallurgical Society of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (MetSoc) Innovation Award for development and commercialization of the SART (Sulfidization, Acidification, Recycling and Thickening) Process. The Innovation Award recognizes outstanding innovation in the mining industry, specifically those that are implemented and practiced on a commercial scale in our industry. This industry recognition demonstrates SGS’s commitment to providing cutting-edge technology and efficient solutions.

Introduced to the gold mining industry in the late 1990’s, the SART Process was developed by SGS with funding support from Teck Corporation. The process was first piloted in 1997 at SGS’s facilities in Lakefield, Ontario and the first commercial plant was commissioned in 2004 at the Telfer mine in Australia. The profound effect of the process on the economics of treating gold/copper ore bodies immediately attracted the attention of the industry and six more plants have been built and commissioned around the world in the last ten years.

The SART Process recovers cyanide from gold leach solutions in situations where the gold ore contains high levels of cyanide-soluble copper minerals. The process separates copper from cyanide, allowing the cyanide to be recycled to leach more gold whilst simultaneously converting the copper from a costly impurity to a valuable by-product. The benefits of using the SART Process include lower operating costs, enhancement in the quality of the final gold product and improvement of operational health and safety. SGS has the bankable metallurgical expertise to help clients effectively achieve their objectives and deliver greater productivity and profitability. The plaque that was presented to SGS on Tuesday, August 25th at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel during the Conference of Metallurgists in Toronto, Ontario, was received by Dr. Chris Fleming, Senior SGS Metallurgical Consultant and developer of the SART Process .