EDM Resources Inc (TSX-V:EDM, OTC:SWNLF) announced promising initial results from heavy liquid separation (HLS) tests on high-grade zinc and lead samples from its Scotia Mine in Nova Scotia.
The findings suggest the potential for dense media separation (DMS) to pre-concentrate high-grade material, potentially lowering mineral processing costs.
The HLS tests, conducted on two sample sizes, yielded significant improvements in zinc and lead grades.
Zinc grades from the T1 test increased by 35% and lead by 26%, while retaining 97.3% of zinc and 99.4% of lead.
Test T2 saw zinc grades rise by 28% and lead by 13%, with zinc recovery at 97.6% and lead at 99.4%.
The HLS tests were performed on two 10-kilogram high-grade samples, crushed to varying sizes for evaluation.
"EDM is very encouraged by the results of the high-grade HLS test work, which indicated almost full recoveries of both zinc and lead mineralization using the HLS bench-scale analyses, with a strong separation of the non-mineralized material from the total processing feed,” said Mark Haywood, EDM’s CEO.
Haywood also noted that ongoing DMS testing on blended materials aims to optimize operations at the Scotia Mine.
Dense media separation uses gravity and density differences between mineralized and non-mineralized rock to separate materials. This environmentally friendly method could reduce the amount of waste processed through the Scotia Mine's mill, potentially lowering costs and allowing access to lower-grade deposits.
EDM plans further testing and optimization as part of its efforts to enhance the Scotia Mine's operational efficiency.