Barry Kevin O’Rourke, an executive of a mining company in Guyana, directs operations on more than 25 blocks of land. Barry Kevin O’Rourke focuses on mining diamonds and precious metals, including gold. Several different processes can be used to mine gold, but one of the most commonly used involves cyanide.
The term cyanide actually refers to several different compounds that contain a nitrogen and carbon group. Cyanide molecules react readily with many metals, which is how it can be used to separate gold from ore. This process can take place through heap or vat leaching. With heap leaching, cyanide is sprayed over piles of crushed ore placed on top of collection pads. The cyanide then dissolves gold as it moves through the piles, and the pads collect the solution with the dissolved metal.
With vat leaching, the ore gets mixed with cyanide in a large tank. This process is more controlled, so the chances of a spill are lower. Overall, cyanide leaching is very efficient, meaning that profit can be made from lower ore grades. However, this requires the processing of additional ore to get the same amount of gold.
