56 Tons of Gold Recovery Carbon, Shipped to Ethiopia

We just closed the books on 56 tons of coconut shell activated carbon bound for a gold mine in Ethiopia. Ethiopia's CIL and CIP circuits are demanding: the carbon has to adsorb gold quickly, survive repeated acid washing, elution, and thermal reactivation, and shed as few fines as possible along the way. This order was engineered to that brief — 6×12 mesh, iodine 1100 mg/g, ball-pan hardness 98%+, ash below 3%.

Order Summary

A Factory Visit That Closed the Deal

Before committing to volume, the buyer did it the right way — they flew in and audited the plant. They walked the activation and screening lines, inspected the raw coconut shell char, sat in on lab testing, and reviewed our packing and container loading. Everything in our spec sheet, verified in person. The 56-ton order was placed by the end of the visit.

We encourage this: third-party inspection, independent lab testing, factory audits, all of it. A supplier confident in the product has nothing to hide, and buyers who verify before they buy tend to become long-term partners.

Why These Specs Matter for Gold Recovery

6×12 mesh (3.35–1.70 mm) — the workhorse particle size for CIL/CIP. Coarse enough to be retained on inter-stage screens (typically 0.6–0.8 mm aperture) without carrying over into tails, fine enough to keep the gold adsorption rate high. Undersize carbon blinds screens and reports to tailings as loss; oversize carbon slows kinetics.

Iodine 1100 mg/g — a proxy for micropore volume, and micropores are where the gold-cyanide complex ([Au(CN)₂]⁻) adsorbs. At 1100, this carbon reaches a loaded value of 25–30 mg Au/g in a well-run circuit and holds a strong equilibrium (K-value) against the barren solution. See our gold cyanide recovery guide for the adsorption chemistry.

Ball-pan hardness 98%+ — gold carbon is abraded through pumping, screening, acid washing, elution, and thermal reactivation at 650–750°C. Every percent of fines generated is gold walking out the door. At 98%+, this carbon survives 5–8 reactivation cycles with attrition losses typically under 0.5% per cycle.

Ash <3% — coconut shell carbon runs far lower in ash than coal-based grades, which means fewer inorganics (silica, calcium) to foul pores or interfere with elution. Low ash is one reason coconut shell dominates the gold mining carbon market.

Quality Control Before Shipping

At 56 tons across two 40HQ containers, quality can't be assumed lot-to-lot. Every production batch clears our in-house lab before loading:

• Iodine number per ASTM D4607 — composite sample from each production lot
• Ball-pan hardness per ASTM D3802 — minimum 98%, reject below 96%
• Apparent density per ASTM D2854 — target 0.48–0.52 g/cc
• Moisture (ASTM D2867), ash content, and particle size distribution by sieve analysis
• Gold activity test on request — K-value and R-value per standard adsorption isotherm method

Composite samples were drawn across both containers' production lots, so the COA reflects the full shipment, not a single flattering batch. The COA was issued and sent to the client before the vessel sailed from Xiamen, and we support SGS, Intertek, or Bureau Veritas pre-shipment inspection on request. For more on our methods, see our quality testing guide.

Shipping Inland to Mekelle Dry Port

Ethiopia is landlocked, so logistics is the real test on an order like this. Cargo can't just clear a nearby seaport — it lands at Djibouti on the Red Sea coast, then moves inland via the Ethio-Djibouti Railway and road haulage to the mining region. We handled the full chain and delivered directly to Mekelle Dry Port, the inland customs and container station serving northern Ethiopia. One point of contact for ocean freight, Djibouti clearance, and inland transport — instead of stitching together three separate vendors.

The 56 tons were packed in 25 kg PP woven bags with a PE inner liner, palletized and stretch-wrapped for the long inland leg, and loaded across two 40HQ (40-foot high-cube) containers. For mines that prefer bulk handling, we also supply 500 kg and 1,000 kg jumbo bags (FIBC).

We prepare the full export document set: commercial invoice, packing list, COA, fumigation certificate, certificate of origin, and bill of lading. Delivery terms to inland Ethiopian stations are quoted case by case — ask us about CIF Djibouti or delivered-to-dry-port options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related

• Activated Carbon for Gold Mining: CIP vs CIL Guide
• Activated Carbon for Gold Cyanide Recovery
• How to Source Coconut Shell Carbon for Gold Recovery
• Coconut Shell Activated Carbon Products