Golden Predator Announces Successful Environmentally Friendly Gold Recovery Leach Tests
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden Predator Mining Corp. (TSX.V:GPY, OTCQX:NTGSF) (the “Company “or “Golden Predator”) is pleased to announce tests have successfully confirmed that EnviroLeach Technologies Inc.’s (“EnviroLeach”) (CSE: ETI) (OTCQB: EVLLF) (7N2: FSE) formula effectively extracts and recovers more than 95% of the gold from sulfide concentrates produced at the Company’s 3 Aces Project. The concentrate is produced using Golden Predator’s Secondary Recovery Unit (SRU™). With this environmentally friendly technology confirmed in successive tests both in the EnviroLeach facility and at the Golden Predator bulk sample processing plant (the “Plant”), the companies have initiated a larger material test run to process up to 5 tonnes of gold-bearing sulfide concentrates to be completed onsite at Golden Predator’s Plant in Canada’s Yukon.
Janet Lee-Sheriff, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Predator said “The Plant and SRU are examples of the continuing ways that Golden Predator works to be innovative, testing new methods that have the ability to change how we operate at projects like 3 Aces. Working with EnviroLeach provides us a unique opportunity to lead the way for safe and responsible new cyanide-free extraction methods in processing gold bearing concentrates which has immediate value on our 3 Aces Project as well opening up other commercial opportunities.”
Summary of pilot test results:
A sample of gold-bearing sulfide concentrate recovered in 2018 was shipped from the Plant to the EnviroLeach facility in Surrey, BC in August of 2019:
- 55.9 kg of the material was processed using EnviroLeach solution and 96.5% of contained gold was leached in 6 hours; and
- Gold in solution was extracted by electrowinning and poured into a 91.3 g button (bar).
A sample of gold-bearing sulfide concentrate recovered in 2019 was also sent to and processed by EnviroLeach at the Surrey facility:
- 30.4 kg of the material was processed using EnviroLeach solution with 96.7% gold recovery in 29 hours; and
- Gold in solution was extracted by electrowinning in 4 hours and poured into a 77.8 g button.
Following completion of test work in the EnviroLeach facility in Surrey, on-site testing was initiated to leach material at the Plant during the week of September 23rd, 2019. Results of this testing are reported below:
- 121 kg of gold-bearing sulfide concentrates produced during 2019 were processed in 21 hours with a 96.2% gold recovery; and
- Electrowinning was completed in 14 hours and 255 g of gold was recovered from the electrowinning cell and poured into a button.
The Golden Predator-EnviroLeach working relationship has enabled the companies to successfully demonstrate the first ”in the field”, recovery of gold from gold-bearing sulfide concentrates, using EnviroLeach’s environmentally friendly formula and Golden Predator’s SRU™ processing equipment. An initial 5 tonne bulk test will be conducted in phases and completed at Golden Predator’s bulk sampling plant in the Yukon with results made available as they are received and evaluated.
Golden Predator operates the Plant to better understand the metallurgy of the varying types of mineralized rock at 3 Aces and to establish better and environmentally friendly ways to process the mineralized rock. As part of its processing plant, Golden Predator developed a mobile batch recovery unit (“Secondary Recovery Unit” or “SRU™”) for the recovery of gold from its sulfide concentrate. Golden Predator is utilizing EnviroLeach’s proprietary environmentally friendly technology in the SRU™. The Plant has now demonstrated the ability to recover both coarse-grained gold from a closed system gravity circuit and to extract gold from a sulfide concentrate in an environmentally conscious manner.
About the EnviroLeach Process
The EnviroLeach process delivers numerous economic and environmental benefits over current extractive technologies. The solution can effectively dissolve gold into aqueous solution with similar leach kinetics and economics to that of cyanide but is sustainable, safe and environmentally friendly. This water-based process has a broad applicability spectrum and is effective on most gold ores and concentrates. It can potentially unlock the value of many deposits located in environmentally sensitive areas that cannot be developed using current extraction methods.
About the Golden Predator Process
Golden Predator’s test processing plant, the first of its kind in Yukon, Canada, commenced operations in 2016 providing increased metallurgical and geological understanding of its 3 Aces Project. The Plant is a relatively simple gravity circuit utilizing a closed-circuit water system with no added chemicals due to the free-milling nature of 3 Aces’ gold. The 50 tonnes per day closed circuit plant recovers gold from #1 concentrates with doré bars sent to a commercial refinery for final processing. Golden Predator is currently testing EnviroLeach’s patent pending technology in its SRUTM for the extraction of gold from its #2 concentrates. Total gold recovery from the gravity circuit is over 85% of contained gold.
The 3 Aces Project is an orogenic gold project in southeast Yukon which provides the testing material for the Plant. To date, Golden Predator has focused exploration on a broad gold-in-soil anomaly, where numerous orogenic gold-bearing quartz veins have been discovered. Golden Predator made an early decision to conduct a bulk sample at the 3 Aces Project when it realized much of the gold contained in its veins is high grade (commonly over 30 g/t gold) and nuggety. The best way to determine the true gold value of a nuggety gold system is to conduct large scale bulk sampling, which also allows Golden Predator the opportunity to conduct bulk metallurgical and processing tests on site.
QA/QC Statement
The initial laboratory, pilot scale and production scale testing were successfully conducted at EnviroLeach’s facility in Surrey, British Columbia prior to the on-site testing at Golden Predator’s Plant. All tests were conducted under the supervision of EnviroLeach and Golden Predator personnel.
The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Jeff Cary, CPG, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and an employee of the Company.
About Golden Predator Mining Corp.
Golden Predator is advancing the fully licensed Brewery Creek project towards production while exploration drilling continues to expand resources. The Company also undertakes bulk sampling and test recovery processes at its Yukon-based test processing plant demonstrating gold recoveries of over 85%, without the use of cyanide, from its 3 Aces Project. This green gold provides for the mintage of .9999 gold coins from the Yukon Mint, a wholly owned subsidiary of Golden Predator.
Contact Information:
Janet Lee-Sheriff
Chief Executive Officer
Golden Predator Mining Corp.
(604) 260-5029
info@goldenpredator.com
www.goldenpredator.com
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This press release contains forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements express or implied regarding completion of the transactions described herein, the upcoming season at 3 Aces project, and projected grades and gold and silver recoveries from the 2018 and proposed 2019 bulk sample program, Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.
