ValOre Metals Corp. (“ValOre”;
TSX‐V: VO; OTCQB: KVLQF;
Frankfurt: KEQ0, “the Company”) today provided an update
on recently completed metallurgical testwork for ValOre’s
100%-owned Pedra Branca Platinum Group Elements (“PGE”, “2PGE+Au”)
Project (“Pedra Branca”) in northeastern Brazil.
Thiago Diniz, ValOre’s V.P. of Exploration,
stated: “The metallurgical and mineralogical programs completed to
date have contributed considerably to our knowledge of the Pedra
Branca PGE deposits. We are confident that the upcoming testwork,
employing two separate strategies, will build on what we have
learned related to the nature of our mineralized material and will
add to the excellent work performed at the Blue Coast Research and
Dundee Sustainable Technologies facilities.”
Key Points:
The metallurgical and mineralogical programs
completed to date have revealed a fine-grained nature and a
low-sulfide association for the platinum group minerals that form
our mineralized zones. Based on this knowledge we have embarked on
two strategies:
- Esbarro flotation testwork program to advance in partnership
with the University of Cape Town, including a complete material
characterization and rougher test conditions optimization
considering lessons learned from previous Blue Coast Research
(“Blue Coast”) program;
- Glycine leaching test to commence at Draslovka’s Perth
Development Center, Australia, targeting improvement on palladium
(“Pd”) and platinum (“Pt”) leaching extraction for the Esbarro
Weathered material.
Metallurgical Testwork Update: Blue
Coast Research and Dundee Sustainable Technologies
In 2023, ValOre started a broad metallurgical
test program on composite samples from the Esbarro Deposit (mineral
resource zone, having an Inferred Resource* totaling 403,000 oz at
1.16 g/t 2PGE+Au in 10.8 Mt of ore – CLICK HERE for News Release
dated November 20th, 2023);
These programs included cyanide leaching,
flotation testwork and re-evaluation of gravity concentration,
performed at Blue Coast facility; and amenability to the CLEVR
Process™ at Dundee Sustainable Technologies (“Dundee”). Results are
summarized below:
Flotation
- A series of rougher and cleaner flotation tests were performed
on the three composite materials, varying baseline conditions
established by previous testwork, such as grinding and pH
conditions;
- Fresh material showed the highest rougher recoveries, reaching
up to 79% Pt and 82% Pd recovery, most likely due to the greater
level of sulfide minerals present within this material type;
- Reducing primary grind size from the baseline 53 micrometre
(“µm”) to 38 µm, and lowering the rougher pH from baseline pH 10 to
pH 4 improved Pd and Pt rougher recoveries, suggesting improved
platinum group minerals (“PGM”) liberation;
- High recovery losses were reported to the cleaner flotation
tails, which has been attributed to the fine-grained nature of the
PGMs, and their close association with non-sulfide gangue;
- Additional mineralogical studies will be key for a better
understanding of the current flotation results, and these are
planned to be performed at the University of Cape Town, concurrent
with the flotation testing, including evaluation of flotation feeds
and concentrates, as described below.
Cyanidation
- Cyanide leaching testing successfully reduced sodium cyanide
(NaCN) addition rates from baseline 20 g/L down to 1 g/L without
significantly reducing Pd extraction;
- Pd cyanidation extraction ranged from 63% and 65% for the
Weathered and Fresh composites, respectively, up to 88% for the
Chromitite composite;
- Pt extraction was low and ranged from below detection limit in
the Fresh composite to approximately 12% in the Chromitite
composite;
- Heap leaching conditions were tested in 96-hour and extended
14-day bottle roll cyanidation tests, conducted at a coarser feed
size, with overall low Pd extractions.
CLEVR Process™ (Dundee)
- Initial test
results showed high Pd extractions for Fresh (83.5%) and Chromitite
(90.5%) composites, while the Weathered material returned 60.9% Pd
extraction. Pt extraction ranged from 20 to 25%.
Gravity
- Extended Gravity Recoverable Gold+PGE testwork showed low
levels of gravity recoverable gold and PGE;
- Size-by-size recoveries indicated that most of the PGE recovery
occurs in the finest size fractions, with gravity showing minor
potential as a viable route to be considered for the Esbarro
material.
New Flotation Testwork – University of
Cape Town
- Flotation tests will be performed on the same material types
from the Esbarro deposit – Fresh, Weathered and Chromitite
composites – and will be guided by a comprehensive mineralogical
study and material characterization, including:
- Quantitative automated bulk mineralogy, major element chemistry
XRF (X-ray fluorescence) and quantitative XRD (X-ray
diffraction);
- Confirmation of the PGM speciation, liberation, association and
grain size for each of the flotation feed samples;
- Determination of the PGE concentrations in selected silicate
and sulfide minerals by LA-ICP-MS (Laser Ablation Inductively
Coupled Mass Spectrometry), and quantification of the mineral
grades for selected flotation concentrates;
- Following the preceding initial mineralogical and material
characterization, flotation testwork will focus on improving the
flotation recovery of the rougher stage for each composite
sample;
- Variable parameters will include grind, pH, dispersant and
co-collector, with assays to be performed on the concentrates and
the tailings samples so that recovery, kinetics, mass pull and
upgrade ratio can be assessed and compared.
- Testwork is estimated to be completed within 9 months.
Glycine Leaching Testwork –
Draslovka
- In addition to the flotation program, ValOre is working with
Draslovka on novel hydrometallurgical solutions for metal recovery
from the Weathered material sample of the Esbarro deposit;
Draslovka owns the patents to Glycine Leaching Technology
(GLT);
- The program is estimated to be completed within 3 months.
About the Centre for Minerals Research,
University of Cape Town
The Centre for Minerals Research (CMR) at the
University of Cape Town is a multi-disciplinary, inter-departmental
Research Centre based in the Department of Chemical Engineering.
The Centre originated as a research group in 1980, focused mainly
on the chemistry of the flotation process. In 2006 the Unit was
accredited by the University as a Research Centre. The Centre for
Minerals Research conducts research in the areas of comminution,
classification, froth flotation and process mineralogy.
Approximately 40% of research is conducted within laboratories, 40%
on either pilot or industrial plants and 20% by computational
methods. Professors Belinda McFadzean and Megan Becker will oversee
the testwork on ValOre PGM samples. For more information, please
visit https://ebe.uct.ac.za/minerals-research.
About Draslovka and the Glycine Leaching
Technology
Draslovka is a company based in the Czech
Republic that specializes in chemical technologies, products and
services, particularly those used in the mining and metallurgical
industries. Renowned for their expertise in the production of
sodium cyanide and other chemicals used in gold extraction,
Draslovka operates in over 80 countries worldwide. Its most
important contribution to the sector is its Glycine Leaching
Technology, the company’s proprietary technology that leaches
metals in a more sustainable and economic manner. The GlyCat™
process, which is the leaching technology for precious metals, and
is currently commercially in use for gold mining operation,
combines glycine with sodium cyanide for the recovery of precious
metals, and can reduce cyanide consumption by up to 90%, while
minimizing or eliminating the need for cyanide detoxification. For
more information, please visit https://www.draslovka.com/glt.
About Blue Coast Research and Dundee
Sustainable Technologies
For more information on Blue Coast and Dundee,
please refer to our news release dated November 20th, 2023.
Qualified Person (“QP”)
The technical information in this news release
has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory
requirements set out in NI 43-101 and reviewed and approved by
Thiago Diniz, P.Geo., ValOre’s QP and Vice President of
Exploration.
About ValOre Metals Corp.
ValOre Metals Corp.
(TSX‐V: VO) is a
Canadian company with a team aiming to deploy capital and knowledge
on projects which benefit from substantial prior investment by
previous owners, existence of high-value mineralization on a large
scale, and the possibility of adding tangible value through
exploration and innovation.
ValOre’s Pedra Branca Platinum Group Elements
Project comprises 45 exploration licenses covering a total area of
51,096 hectares (126,260 acres) in northeastern Brazil. At Pedra
Branca, 7 distinct PGE+Au deposit areas host, in aggregate, a 2022
NI 43-101 inferred resource of 2.198 Moz 2PGE+Au contained in 63.6
Mt grading 1.08 g/t 2PGE+Au. ValOre’s team believes the Pedra
Branca project has significant exploration discovery and resource
expansion potential. (CLICK HERE to download 2022 technical report*
and CLICK HERE for news release dated March 24, 2022).
*The 2022 Technical Report is entitled
“Independent Technical Report –Mineral Resource Update on the Pedra
Branca PGE Project, Ceará State, Brazil” was prepared as a National
Instrument 43-101 Technical Report on behalf of ValOre Metals Corp.
with an effective date of March 08, 2022. The 2022 Technical Report
by Independent qualified persons, Fábio Valério (P.Geo.) and
Porfirio Cabaleiro (P.Eng.), of GE21, commissioned to complete the
mineral resource estimate while Chris Kaye of Mine and Quarry
Engineering Services Inc. (MQes), was commissioned to review the
metallurgical information. The Mineral Resource estimates were
prepared in accordance with the CIM Standards, and the CIM
Guidelines, using geostatistical, plus economic and mining
parameters appropriate to the deposit. Mineral Resources, which are
not mineral reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability,
and may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal,
marketing, and other relevant issues. Mineral Resources are based
upon a cut-off grade of 0.4 g/t PGE+Au, correlated to Pd_eq grade
of 0.35 g/t, and were limited by an economic pit built in Geovia
Whittle 4.3 software and following the geometric and economic
parameters as disclosed in the 2022 NI 43-101 Technical Report,
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
“Jim Paterson”
James R. Paterson, Chairman and CEO
ValOre Metals Corp.
For further information about ValOre Metals
Corp., or this news release, please visit our website at
www.valoremetals.com or contact Investor Relations by email at
contact@valoremetals.com.
ValOre Metals Corp. is a proud member of
Discovery Group. For more information please visit:
http://www.discoverygroup.ca/
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Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the
policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for
the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws.
Although ValOre believes that the expectations reflected in its
forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements have
been based on factors and assumptions concerning future events that
may prove to be inaccurate. These factors and assumptions are based
upon currently available information to ValOre. Such statements are
subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
that could influence actual results or events and cause actual
results or events to differ materially from those stated,
anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. A number
of important factors including those set forth in other public
filings could cause actual outcomes and results to differ
materially from those expressed in these forward-looking
statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ
materially from those in forward-looking statements include the
future operations of ValOre and economic factors. Readers are
cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the
date of this release and, except as required by applicable law,
ValOre does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to
revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise. ValOre
undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or
statements made by third parties in respect of ValOre, or its
financial or operating results or (as applicable), their
securities.
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