The global mining and beneficiation agent market is entering a critical period of multiple benefits and challenges intertwined. On the one hand, the continuous tightening of environmental policies in various countries has forced traditional pharmaceuticals to accelerate their withdrawal; On the other hand, the demand for environmentally friendly chemicals in emerging gold producing areas is concentrated, and technological breakthroughs are constantly emerging. This issue provides you with a summary of the latest developments in the past half month.
On March 18th, the National Development and Reform Commission released the draft of the "Guiding Catalogue for Industrial Structure Adjustment (2025 Edition)" for comments, which clearly includes "traditional mineral processing agents with high toxicity and high environmental risks (some varieties)" in the listrestriction classCatalog, including "low toxicity, non-toxic, biodegradable new mineral processing agents"Encouragement categoryThis is the first time at the national level that mineral processing agents have been clearly classified according to their environmental attributes.
Policy interpretationIndustry insiders predict that the implementation of policies will accelerate the clearance of outdated production capacity, and the market share of environmentally friendly mineral processing agents is expected to increase from the current 25% to over 35% in the next three years. New mines will prioritize the use of environmentally friendly chemicals, while existing mines are also facing pressure for technological upgrades.
On March 20th, the China Gold Association announced the launch of the preparation of the "Technical Specification for Certification of Green Gold Mine Mineral Processing Agents". This specification will be derived fromBiodegradability, ecological toxicity, carbon footprint, heavy metal contentEstablish a quantitative evaluation system based on dimensions, expected to be officially released in the fourth quarter of 2025. The establishment of a certification system will provide authoritative basis for mining enterprises to choose environmentally friendly chemicals.
On March 22nd, the Ghanaian Parliament passed the Mining Law Amendment Act, which stipulatesStarting from 2026, cyanide imports require special permission from the Mining Commission, and the total import volume will decrease by 5% annuallyGhana is one of the largest gold producing countries in Africa, and this move will accelerate the promotion and application of environmentally friendly mineral processing agents in West Africa, creating market space for technology routes such as thiosulfate and thiourea.
On March 25th, the Chilean Congress passed the "Toxic Substance Reduction Act for Mining Areas", which requires a 40% reduction in cyanide use in mining areas by 2030 and the establishment of a "green beneficiation agent priority procurement" system. Chile is the world's largest copper producer, with abundant copper gold associated mineral resources. The bill will directly promote the large-scale application of environmentally friendly chemicals such as thiosulfates.
Australian GreenGold company released the latest data on March 21st, stating that its glycine gold extraction technology, after system optimization, has reduced the drug consumption per unit2.1 kg/ton of oreCompared to the same period last year, it has decreased by 32%, and the comprehensive cost has approached the level of cyanide method.
technical details：
Realize 85% recycling rate through the drug recovery system
By product copper recovery benefits can cover 20% of pharmaceutical costs
The leaching rate remains stable at 88-91%, which is on par with the cyanide method
Commercialization progressThe company announced that it has signed cooperation agreements with three gold mines in Western Australia and plans to complete the construction of the first 100000 ton/year industrial plant by 2026.
CyPlus, a Canadian company, released its fourth generation thiosulfate stabilizer on March 19th, which can extend the half-life of drugs in circulating solutions from 72 hours to300 hoursAt the same time, reduce the volatilization of ammonia85%This breakthrough has solved the stability problem that has long plagued thiosulfate systems.
application achievementsIn the industrial trial of a high copper gold mine (Cu 2.5%) in Chile, the consumption of reagents decreased from 2.8kg/t to 1.3kg/t, the gold leaching rate remained above 92%, and the comprehensive cost decreased by 35%.
The "thermophilic bacteria pretreatment+thiourea leaching" technology developed by Mintek Research Institute in South Africa in cooperation with Anglo American Resources has completed a continuous 90 day pilot run in a high arsenic gold mine (As 4.2%) in Ghana. The data shows that:
Total gold recovery rate:86.3%(The original cyanide method only accounts for 52%)
Processing time: 7 days (biological pretreatment)+6 hours (thiourea leaching)
Arsenic stabilization rate:99.5%Tailings meet environmental standards
Next stepWe plan to launch the first industrial demonstration plant in 2026, with a designed annual processing capacity of 1 million tons.
The "nano lotion super fine gold collector" jointly developed by Central South University and Shandong Gold has passed the industrial verification. Improved flotation recovery rate for -10 μ m fine gold particles (accounting for 35%)12 percentage pointsImprove the grade of concentrate18%Reduced drug consumption per unit25%。
Application prospectsWith the increasing trend of finer ore particle size, this technology is expected to be promoted and applied in old mining areas such as Jiaodong and XiaoQinling, and to activate a large number of difficult to process resources.
According to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs, the export value of mineral processing agents in China reached285 million US dollarsYear-on-year growth32%The export value of environmentally friendly products (thiosulfate, thiourea, etc.) increased year-on-year43%, as a percentage of the total export value38%Set a new historical high.
Main export markets：
Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan)Year on year growth of 55%, with environmental protection accounting for 71%
West Africa (Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso)Year on year growth of 42%, with environmental protection accounting for 48%
South America (Chile, Peru)Year on year growth of 28%, with environmental protection accounting for 56%
According to statistics from the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, the domestic market size of mineral processing agents in January and February 2025 is expected to be approximately760 million yuanYear-on-year growth8.5%Among them:
| category | Sales revenue (in billions of yuan) | year-on-year growth | market share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Sodium Cyanide | 5.3 | +1.2% | 69.7% |
| Thiosulfates | 1.3 | +32% | 17.1% |
| Thiourea class | 0.5 | +19% | 6.6% |
| halogens | 0.2 | +35% | 2.6% |
| Other environmental protection categories | 0.3 | +45% | 4.0% |
key trendsThe total proportion of environmental protection has reached30.3%Compared to the end of last year, the growth rate has increased by nearly 5 percentage points, and the growth rate continues to lead.
| raw material | Current price (yuan/ton) | Monthly increase | Annual increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid alkali (32%) | 1250 | +5.0% | +28% |
| sulfur | 1620 | +4.5% | +30% |
| urea | 1780 | -2.2% | -19% |
| bromine | 24500 | -1.2% | -12% |
| Sodium cyanide (domestic) | 10200 | +3.0% | +10% |
Cost transmissionSince March, six domestic mineral processing agent companies have issued price adjustment notices, raising prices for traditional sodium cyanide products by 3-8%, while environmental protection products have not yet followed up due to technological premiums.
On March 15th, Zijin Mining and Central South University signed an agreement to jointly build the "Gold Green Extraction Joint Laboratory". The laboratory will focus on environmentally friendly pharmaceutical solutions for difficult to treat gold mines such as high arsenic, high carbon, and micro particle encapsulation, with initial research and development funding50 million yuanThe first batch of results is expected to be released in 2026.
On March 22nd, Chifeng Gold announced that120 million yuanStrategic investment in a Jiangsu based environmental beneficiation agent company, holding shares25%Both parties will jointly develop a specialized formula for thiosulfate for the high copper gold mine in Vientiane Mining (Laos), with the goal of increasing the recovery rate of associated gold from 82% to over 89%.
On March 20th, Shandong Gold released the "Green Mineral Processing Agent Supply Chain Optimization Plan", which includes the following core contents:
The replacement rate of sodium cyanide in existing mines is expected to reach 202630%By 202850%
The new project prioritizes the use of environmentally friendly chemicals such as thiosulfate and thiourea
Establish a supplier ESG evaluation system and implement it from 2026 onwards
SolvayAnnounced investment on March 18th120 million eurosEstablishing a bio based mineral processing agent research and development center in Belgium
BASFOn March 21st, a strategic cooperation memorandum was signed with Barrick Gold to jointly promote the application of thiosulfate technology in African mines
clariant On March 24th, we acquired a Brazilian environmental pharmaceutical company to expand our market share in South America
AshlandAnnouncement of withdrawal from traditional sodium cyanide business and comprehensive shift towards environmentally friendly mineral processing agents
On March 19th, the Navoi Mining Consortium in Uzbekistan issued a bidding announcement to build two new gold mines using cyanide free technology, with a total designed annual processing capacity8 million tonsThe bidding documents clearly require the use of thiosulfate or thiourea systems, which are expected to release approximately12000 tons/yearThe demand for environmentally friendly chemicals.
On March 23rd, a Chinese engineering company signed a framework agreement with the Ghanaian government, planning to invest450 million US dollarsConstructing West Africa's first large-scale gold mine using the "thiourea+resin adsorption" process, with a designed annual processing capacity5 million tonsExpected to be put into operation in 2027. This project will become a benchmark for environmental beneficiation technology in West Africa.
Chile's National Copper Company announced on March 17th that it will invest in the next three years300 million US dollarsTransform the beneficiation process of all copper containing gold mines under its umbrella into a thiosulfate system. According to estimates, this alone will increase the demand for thiosulfate by approximately30000 to 40000 tons/yearBringing significant market opportunities to environmental pharmaceutical companies.
With the tightening of policies in major markets such as the European Union, China, and Africa, the exit speed of traditional sodium cyanide will exceed expectations. It is expected that by 2028, the global market share of environmentally friendly mineral processing agents will increase from the current level of about25%upgrade to45%The above. The policy dividends will be concentrated on top enterprises with advanced technology and sufficient production capacity.
A single technological route is difficult to cope with the complex and ever-changing properties of ores. Multi technology integration solutions such as "pretreatment+environmental leaching", "bio chemical coupling", and "flotation leaching synergy" will become mainstream. Enterprises with comprehensive technical capabilities will gain higher customer stickiness.
With the concentrated release of demand for environmentally friendly chemicals in emerging gold producing areas, coupled with the emphasis on the safety of key mineral supply chains in various countries, localized production of mineral processing agents will become a trend. It is expected that in the next 3-5 years, Chinese pharmaceutical companies will accelerate their production capacity layout in Central Asia, Africa, South America and other places to seize market opportunities.
The mining and beneficiation pharmaceutical industry is standing at a critical crossroads of transformation. The four forces of environmental regulation, technological iteration, market demand, and competitive landscape are reshaping the industry landscape.
For pharmaceutical companies, grasping the pace of policies, breaking through key technologies, and deeply cultivating key markets will be the key to winning the future. For mining enterprises, the selection of mineral processing agents is upgrading from "cost considerations" to "strategic decisions" - it not only determines the current economy, but also affects future compliance capabilities and sustainable development space.
The choice of medicine is the choice of the future. 在这场深刻的行业变革中，唯有主动应变者，方能行稳致远
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