The Sao Francisco mineral processing system consists of a three stage crushing plant and gravity concentration circuit combined with a multi-lift, heap leach operation. Testwork and ongoing laboratory analysis shows that the free gold, which occurs in fractures in the quartz-sericite veinlets, is released at a crush size of -6 millimetres. This product from the crushing plant is fed to the gravity plant where jigs, spirals and centrifugal concentrators are employed to recover the gravity gold. The crushed product greater than six millimetres is trucked from a storage bin at the crushing plant direct to the heap leach pads. Ore grading between 0.3 grams per tonne gold and 0.60 grams per tonne gold is sent directly to the dump leach. Aura Minerals is currently reviewing all operating parameters of the crushing and gravity circuit and is planning several changes and upgrades to improve gold recovery and increase throughput.

At the heap leach area, both crushed and run-of-mine ore are stacked using trucks with subsequent ripping by bulldozers. Following stacking of the crushed and low-grade run-of-mine ore, both ore types are irrigated with a weak cyanide solution and the resulting gold-bearing solutions are collected in a lined pregnant solution pond prior to processing for recovery of gold. A conventional carbon adsorption facility (ADR) is used to recover gold from process solutions and produce a final gold dore product. Gravity plant concentrates are also smelted to produce a doré product. Lined collection ponds and a solution detoxification circuit are included to handle the large amounts of seasonal rainfall. Excess solution is detoxified and then either discharged, or used in the gravity circuit as make-up solution.