KEY POINTS
- DRDGOLD is building an Aztec up-flow reactor to improve gold recovery, but will not update guidance until it sees real-world results.
- The reactor is part of DP2 at Far West Gold Recoveries, whose smelt house was commissioned on July 14.
- Its roughly 10 billion rand Vision 2028 programme, with over 5 billion rand invested, targets annual output near six tonnes by 2028.
DRDGOLD is betting on a new up-flow reactor to lift gold recovery, an early-stage technology that CEO Niël Pretorius said shows good promise as the Johannesburg-listed miner pushes ahead with modernisation.
The reactor forms part of DRDGOLD’s Far West Gold Recoveries DP2 plant, whose smelt house it commissioned on July 14. Moreover, the company expects to commission the rest of the DP2 plant during the current quarter, once initial operations settle.
How the up-flow reactor works
An up-flow reactor is a specialised vessel that pumps gold-bearing slurry or chemical solution upward through a vertical chamber, suspending solid particles without mechanical stirring. Consequently, the counter-current flow is said to raise recovery rates, speed reaction kinetics and cut cyanide use by improving contact between gold particles, reagents and activated carbon.
According to Pretorius, DRDGOLD ran proper pilot-plant testwork, liked the results and won board approval to build an Aztec up-flow reactor. However, he stressed that the technology remains untested in real-world conditions. Therefore, the company will not update forecasts or guidance until it sees actual numbers, treating the step as important but unproven. Furthermore, material passes into the reactor only after it clears the carbon-in-leach plant.
Vision 2028 keeps advancing
Meanwhile, the reactor sits inside a far bigger push. DRDGOLD’s roughly 10 billion rand Vision 2028 programme spans five projects, two at Ergo on the East Rand and three at Far West Gold Recoveries, aiming to lift annual output toward six tonnes by 2028. Additionally, the miner has now invested more than 5 billion rand.
At Ergo, the company commissioned the Daggafontein tailings facility at about half a billion rand to ease deposition onto the Brakpan dam, while the 3 billion rand Withok dam awaits authorisation. Specifically, DRDGOLD hopes to secure Withok approvals by year-end and finish construction in 2029, extending the Ergo mine life to 21 years.
At Far West Gold Recoveries, the plan runs in three legs: doubling DP2 capacity to 1.2-million tons, building a 1.2 billion rand pipeline network, and constructing the 800-million-ton Regional Tailings Storage Facility. Ultimately, DRDGOLD expects that facility ready in the first quarter of its 2028 financial year, weather permitting.
