Tempus Resources Ltd’s (ASX:TMR) (CVE:TMRR) (OTCMKTS:TMRFF) (FRA:4W0) consolidated metallurgical review has confirmed high gold recoveries in tests on two processing routes of ore from the Elizabeth section of the Blackdome-Elizabeth Gold Project in British Columbia, Canada.
The review, which was completed by JDS Energy & Mining Inc, confirmed that the mineralisation is not refectory and that high recoveries can be expected from various processing routes.
Two processing routes have been tested and confirmed recoveries of up to around 95%:
- 94.7% recovery into gold doré bars via crushing, grinding, gravity separation and leaching; or
- 92.5-95.1% recovery into high-grade gold concentrate utilising the same processing route employed by the Blackdome Gold Mine plant (ie, crushing, grinding, gravity separation and flotation).
“Provides further confidence”
President and CEO Jason Bahnsen said: “The review work completed by JDS Mining provides further confidence regarding the free-milling characteristics of the Elizabeth ore and the value of our existing process plant at Blackdome.
“As we continue to drill Elizabeth, we will concurrently be progressing the planning and engineering work that will lead to the completion of a scoping study and preliminary economic assessment on the project following the release of a maiden mineral resource estimate under Tempus’ ownership.”
Objectives
The review focused on the options for processing Elizabeth ore based on the results of a metallurgical test work program completed by G&T Metallurgical Services Ltd in 2009-2010 at their laboratories in Kamloops, British Columbia.
The objective of the G&T test-work was to conduct a preliminary metallurgical assessment of a sample from the Elizabeth Gold Project and determine the suitability of two main processing options, which were:
- Utilisation of testing process flow sheet with the same process steps as the existing Blackdome Gold Mine plant (ie, a simulation of utilisation of the Blackdome plant to produce high-grade gold concentrate); and
- Looking at the results of standalone processing steps and carrying those through crushing, grinding, gravity separation and then into cyanide leaching to produce gold doré bars (ie, a simulation of a typical carbon-in-leach / carbon-in-pulp circuit).
Composite samples received by G&T Met for their test work program were around 21 kilograms from drill core from the South Vein (assaying at 3.95 g/t gold and 2.1 g/t silver) and approximately 37 kilograms from chip samples from the West Vein (assaying at 0.49 g/t gold and 1.0 g/t silver).
However, it was determined that the assays received from the West Vein were too low grade and that was excluded from the test program and only used for calibrations when preparing tests for the South Vein composite.
Recommendations
JDS Mining has recommended some further metallurgical and engineering study work to be completed as part of a forthcoming Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) on the project.
The recommended study work includes:
- A cost review of restarting the Blackdome mill;
- A trade-off study between producing a flotation concentrate versus leaching and producing a dore at the Blackdome mill or at the Elizabeth site;
- Completion of optical ore sorting test work of Elizabeth;
- A trade-off study between refurbishing the Blackdome Mill vs building a new facility at Elizabeth; and
- Follow up metallurgical test work to refine the optimal process flowsheet for Elizabeth.