Frequently Asked Questions

We are a real manufacturing enterprise, not a trading company. Our production plant is at No. 52 Yanling West Road, Yanshi Town, Xinluo District, Longyan City, Fujian Province, China (生产车间：福建省龙岩市新罗区雁石镇雁岭西路52号生产车间） with export operations coordinated from Xiamen. With 20+ years of activated carbon production experience, we run dedicated gold-leaching grade lines for CIP / CIL recovery.

Gold recovery activated carbon is a hard, micro-porous coconut shell granular carbon (GAC) used in CIP (carbon-in-pulp) and CIL (carbon-in-leach) plants. It adsorbs dissolved gold from cyanide leach slurry, is screened and washed during elution, then regenerated and returned to the circuit. Because it is screened, regenerated and reused for months, hardness and attrition resistance matter as much as iodine value.

Typical gold-grade coconut shell GAC specs are: iodine 1000–1300 mg/g, hardness ≥98%, moisture ≤ 5%, low ash, in 6×12 or 3×6 mm cuts. Every batch we ship comes with a Certificate of Analysis covering these parameters, and we can tighten the spec to your circuit — for example, a narrower sieve range or a target hardness of 98%+.

Coconut shell carbon combines a fine micro-pore structure with high hardness. In practice that means fast gold loading kinetics, high loading capacity per gram, and less breakage during screening, elution and regeneration. Coal-based carbon is cheaper per ton, but higher attrition and slower kinetics usually cost more over the life of a CIP circuit.

Yes — we arrange small trial orders rather than free giveaways: a 500 g laboratory pack or one 25 kg export bag at cost price, with the sample value credited against your first bulk order. The buyer covers the courier cost. This keeps serious buyers moving quickly and lets you verify our carbon in your own lab before committing to a container.

For evaluation, one 25 kg bag or 1 MT pallet is fine. For production orders, a 20 ft container (roughly 18–20 MT of coconut shell GAC in 25 kg bags) is the most cost-efficient starting point. We also run consolidated container programs for African buyers so smaller quantities can share freight.

Yes — YELI Carbon publishes both for gold-grade GAC: K-value (gold loading capacity) 8–12 kg Au/t (≈ 8–12 mg Au/g) in high-grade circuits, and R-value (2-hour adsorption rate) 52–58% of equilibrium loading within 2 h in a standard ~1000 ppm Au cyanide solution. Both are measured in our own QC laboratory in accordance with GB/T 32992—2016, and the result is reported on the batch COA. Actual in-plant kinetics also depend on your liquor chemistry, gold concentration, carbon concentration and contact time.

Standard options include: 25 kg PP woven bags with inner PE liner (palletized and shrink-wrapped), 500–1000 kg jumbo bags, and drums for powdered and specialty grades. Custom packing, labels and barcodes are available. All export packing is done at our Longyan plant, container-ready.

Every batch is lab-tested before shipment and ships with a COA covering iodine value, hardness, moisture, ash, particle size distribution and other agreed parameters. We retain production samples for traceability and can arrange third-party inspection (SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek) before loading at your cost. Consistency comes from controlling sourcing and production ourselves.

Because we are the producer, we control the full chain: feedstock sourcing, activation, screening, packing and stocking. Our gold-grade lines run year-round with a stocked warehouse, and contract customers can reserve fixed monthly tonnage. For a mine, that means no surprise gaps when the circuit needs make-up carbon.

We ship by sea (20 ft / 40 ft containers, breakbulk or consolidated) and by air for urgent or small orders. Common incoterms: FOB Xiamen, CIF, CFR, EXW and DDP. For Africa we regularly ship to Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Tema and Durban; for North America we serve US East/West/Gulf ports, Canada and Mexico.

For first orders we typically take T/T (30% deposit, 70% before shipment or against BL copy) or L/C at sight for larger values. After an established trade history, more flexible terms are possible. Small sample and express orders can be paid via PayPal or Wise.

Standard grades: 7–15 days after deposit confirmation. Impregnated or customized grades: 15–30 days depending on the specification. Trial sample orders ship within 3 working days. For repeat orders we often hold stock and can ship faster.

You are welcome. The production plant is at No. 52 Yanling West Road, Yanshi Town, Xinluo District, Longyan City, Fujian Province (生产车间：福建省龙岩市新罗区雁石镇雁岭西路52号生产车间） We can arrange a plant tour by appointment, including the warehouse, packing lines and QC lab, and help with transport from Xiamen or Longyan.

It follows five simple steps: 1) Inquiry — tell us your application, target spec and volume; 2) Quote — you receive a detailed quotation within 24 hours; 3) Confirmation — we agree on packaging, incoterms, payment and lead time (a trial sample can be arranged first); 4) Production & QC — your batch is produced and tested, with the COA issued before shipment; 5) Delivery & support — we ship with full export documents and stay available for questions after delivery.

Yes. Our technical team helps with grade selection, dosage, and advice on screening, elution and regeneration so you get the most from the carbon. We also coordinate resupply schedules so make-up carbon arrives before you run low — many of our mining customers run on standing monthly orders.

That is the right question to ask, because in this industry there are plenty of people selling carbon they have never produced. We welcome the three checks most buyers run. First, look at the address: our production plant is at No. 52 Yanling West Road, Yanshi Town, Xinluo District, Longyan City, Fujian Province, China. It opens in navigation, and buyers are welcome to visit in person. Second, ask for a live video tour of the production line — we do these regularly, and you will see kilns, screening and packing, not a showroom. Third, order a small trial: one 25 kg bag at cost price, and test it against our COA in your own lab. A genuine gold recovery activated carbon manufacturer is not afraid of any of those three steps.

Yes — Africa is one of our main markets. We supply coconut shell granular activated carbon to gold recovery plants in Ghana, Sudan, Tanzania, Mali, Burkina Faso and other gold-producing countries, and we regularly ship containers to Tema, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Lagos and Durban. Most buyers there start with an evaluation order — one pallet or a single 25 kg bag — then scale to container volumes once the carbon performs in their circuit. We handle the documentation and freight arrangements for these routes, so even a first-time importer gets a straightforward process.

Iodine value is the number everyone quotes first. It is a rough measure of the carbon micro-pore surface area, expressed in mg/g, and for gold recovery the practical working range is about 1000–1300 mg/g. Hardness tells you how well the carbon survives a CIP/CIL plant — pumping, screening, elution and regeneration grind it constantly. Below roughly 95% you will start seeing fines build up, and gold rides out in those fines. Moisture is the simplest: wet carbon is heavy carbon, and anything above 5% means you are paying freight for water. Together with ash and particle size distribution, these are the numbers we certify on every COA.

You can load almost any carbon into a circuit, but the economics usually punish you for it. Coal-based carbon is cheaper per ton, yet its pore structure suits it less well: gold loads more slowly and less completely, and hardness is usually lower, so attrition losses creep up over months of screening and elution. Wood-based carbon is softer still. Coconut shell granular activated carbon wins on the two numbers that matter over the life of the circuit — loading kinetics and hardness — which is why most gold CIP/CIL plants standardize on it even when the first invoice is higher. If a supplier offers coal-based carbon for gold recovery at a big discount, it is worth asking what your real cost per ounce recovered will be.

There is no fixed number, because it depends on your ore, your circuit and how hard the carbon is worked. From the mines we supply, a well-run plant typically loses 5–10% of its carbon inventory every month to attrition and gold-room losses — which is why make-up carbon is a recurring purchase, not a one-time buy. This is exactly where carbon quality shows up: a harder coconut shell GAC keeps that monthly consumption lower. Most of our mining customers set a standing monthly or quarterly resupply so they never run short mid-circuit. If you track losses and gold inventory closely, you will soon see whether your make-up volume is normal or whether the carbon itself is the problem.

A standard shipment comes with a Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Bill of Lading and a Certificate of Analysis for the carbon. We also issue a Certificate of Origin (China) and, when your country requires it, a phytosanitary or fumigation certificate for the wooden pallets. For West African ports we prepare the paperwork in the format local customs expect — for us that is routine, not an extra service. If your importer of record needs something specific, tell us at order time and we build it into the packing and documentation.

Yes — we are open to agent and distributor arrangements in Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso and across the region. If you know mining buyers and want to represent a factory-direct brand, let's talk about commission or margin structure. We also offer referral benefits: introduce a buyer who places an order, and we will recognize that — as a discount on your own purchases or a referral arrangement.

First orders are usually 30% deposit + 70% against shipping documents (T/T), or L/C at sight for larger values. Once we have shipped together a few times, we can review more flexible terms. Trust is earned both ways — a trial container is the fastest way to build it.

Yes — we tailor mesh size (6x12, 6x16, 3x6), iodine band, hardness target and packing to your circuit. Send us your screen aperture, elution setup and target adsorption, and we will match the grade. Every custom batch ships with a COA covering the agreed parameters.

Gold recovery grade coconut shell activated carbon typically costs $3,200–3,800 per tonne FOB China (iodine 950–1100, hardness ≥98%). Coal-based carbon is cheaper per ton ($1,200–1,800) but wears faster, so life-cycle cost usually favors coconut shell in a CIP/CIL circuit. Prices move with coconut shell feedstock supply — ask us for a current quote before budgeting.

About 5–7 weeks door to port: 10–15 days production and QC, then 25–35 days sea freight to Tema (Ghana), Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) or Dakar (Senegal), plus overland trucking for landlocked destinations like Mali and Burkina Faso. Air freight is available for urgent trial lots.

Typically 10–30 thermal regeneration cycles before activity falls too far to be economical — at a 7–14 day cycle that is roughly 6–18 months of service before staged replacement. Harder coconut-shell carbon (95–98% hardness) survives more cycles with less attrition. Watch regenerated iodine, ash build-up and cost per regenerated tonne to decide when to replace rather than regenerate.

6×12 mesh (~1.7–3.4 mm) is the most widely used all-rounder for CIP/CIL and the safe default for most plants. 6×16 is finer (more surface area, needs tighter screens) and 3×6 mm is coarser (lower pressure drop, high-flow duty). Match the cut to your interstage screens, elution column and kiln — changing mesh later is a plant redesign.

Run nine checks: verify the plant address, ask for a live video tour of the production line, order a 25 kg trial bag at cost, re-test the COA in your own lab, confirm the spec matches your circuit, compare life-cycle cost not price per ton, check export documents and moisture at loading, ask how they handle quality disputes, and verify payment terms. A real factory welcomes all nine.

Most CIL circuits run 15–25 g of carbon per litre of pulp (roughly 15–25 kg/m³), depending on gold grade and retention time. The initial charge is set at design concentration, then maintained with routine make-up as carbon is lost to attrition, elution and gold-room handling. Budget 5–10% of inventory per month as make-up to start.

A good coconut shell GAC can load 8–12 kg of gold per tonne of carbon in a high-grade circuit, depending on solution grade, contact time and carbon activity. What matters most is consistent loading from batch to batch — ask for the COA of the actual lot you are buying, not a brochure figure.

Absolutely — 500 g lab packs or 25 kg bags at cost, with the COA of that exact lot. Run it through your own screens, test iodine, hardness, moisture and ash in your lab, and if possible through a regeneration cycle. The sample value is credited against your first container order.