Freegold Recommences Processing of Bulk Samples with Enhanced Gravity Plant at Golden Summit
June 13 2008 - 3:01AM
PR Newswire (US)
VANCOUVER, June 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Freegold Ventures
Limited (TSX: ITF, OTCBB: FGOVF, Frankfurt: FR4) is pleased to
announce the resumption of its seasonal bulk sampling program at
the Golden Summit project located outside Fairbanks, Alaska.
Commencement of this first full processing season follows the
recent purchase and installation of additional processing equipment
to enhance the crushing and grinding capabilities of the Company's
gravity-based gold recovery plant. The decision to expand the plant
was made upon the completion of comprehensive metallurgical testing
over the winter which showed that significantly higher gold
recoveries can be expected with smaller-sized material processed
through the plant. Recoveries ranging from 80 to 95% have been
achieved on 17 bulk sample composite samples that have been reduced
to a particle size in the laboratory that is reflective of the new
crushing and grinding capabilities of the plant. With composite
head grades ranging from 1.9 g/t (0.055 oz/ton) to 44.6 g/t (1.3
oz/ton), the high gravity recoveries seen across all sample grades
reconfirms the coarse nature of the gold seen in the previous test
work and in the initial gravity concentration work. The primary
purposes of the bulk-sampling program at Golden Summit are to
determine the continuity of gold mineralization found within
numerous gold-bearing shear zones that were discovered and
delineated through trenching and shallow RAB drilling over the past
two years, and to generate cash flow from the on-site gravity
concentration of the gold found in this material. Following the
receipt of permits in May 2007, Freegold commenced construction of
a portable gravity-based gold concentration plant capable of
processing up to 1,200 tons of mineralized material per day. The
plant was transported to Alaska last summer and following assembly,
became operational in September 2007. Following approximately 4
weeks of increasing through-put up to its design capacity, the
processing operations were halted in October with the on-set of
freezing temperatures. As the Company was unable to source a
secondary crushing plant last year, the primary crushing circuit
was modified to operate in a closed loop to try and achieve the
required minimum crush size. Unfortunately, this configuration did
not consistently generate the required feed size which in turn
negatively impacted the gold recovery and processing rates. Gold
recovered in concentrates during the initial processing period were
utilized for subsequent test work to optimize re-grind and final
concentration methods. Although initial recovery was below
expectations given the insufficient crushing capability, the
majority of the gold remains contained within the coarse tailings
that were separated and stockpiled adjacent to the plant, and which
will be the first material to be processed this season with the
newly modified plant. Further details on the bulk sampling program,
including an overview of the location, volume and grades of
materials sampled to date, and an overview on the sampling
locations and volumes estimated for 2008 will be provided in the
Company's next release. 2008 Metallurgical Testing During the
winter season, Freegold conducted an expanded and systematic
program to supplement the preliminary gravity recovery test-work
undertaken by McClelland Laboratories and the Knelson Research and
Technology Centre in 2007. Freegold's program involved testing
composite samples from each of the different mineralized rock types
collected in prior bulk sampling to determine how gravity-based
gold recoveries vary by particle feed size. Composites ranging from
20 to 50 kilograms were generated from both bulk sample stockpiles
as well as from bulk sample working faces in the various bulk
sample test areas. The samples were crushed to minus 1/4", and then
split for head analyses sieve analyses and metallurgical testing. A
total of 17 composite samples were generated, with head grades
ranging from 0.055 oz/ton (1.9 g/t) to 1.3 oz/ton (44.6 g/t) and
averaging 0.27 oz/ton (9.1 g/t). The crushed material was
subsequently ground to various size fractions using a laboratory
scale ball mill, and the ground products were then run through a 4
inch Knelson concentrator. The calculated head grades and gold
recoveries from these samples were determined in order to plot the
gold recovery versus particle size for each of the samples. This
test work has re-confirmed the coarse particle size of the gold
being sampled at Golden Summit, with recoveries ranging from 80 to
95 percent using relatively coarse grinding (65 to 80 mesh).
Additional cleaner gravity concentration tests were also completed,
indicating that a number of the rock types will be capable of
producing a direct smelt concentrate by sending the rougher
concentrates through the regrind circuit and the 12-inch Knelson
concentrator. Equipment Purchases and Plant Modifications Given the
higher recoveries indicated by the smaller sized feed material,
Freegold has purchased and installed additional crushing and
grinding equipment over the past few months. Freegold's first
purchase was a used 500 ton/day mill from a site located 15 miles
from the Golden Summit project. Several pieces of equipment from
this mill, including 4' X 4' and 4' X 8' ball mills, a 2' X 3'
regrind mill, plus miscellaneous hydrocyclones, slurry pumps,
motors, conveyors and tanks, have already been dismantled and moved
from the plant site and reinstalled into Freegold's current gravity
circuit. In addition, the purchase included a complete flotation
plant (including conventional rougher, scavenger and cleaner
flotation cells, a 15' thickener, a disk filter, several agitation
tanks, and a complete motor control center). Although this
additional equipment is not needed for the Golden Summit circuit,
Freegold will continue to store these valuable assets. In order to
enhance its crushing capabilities, Freegold also purchased a 2007
Nordberg portable closed circuit cone crushing plant with an
integral 6' X 20' triple deck screen and conveying system for
incorporation into the crushing circuit as the secondary crusher.
The crushed and screened product from the crushing circuit (primary
impact crusher and secondary cone crusher) will be discharged to a
radial stacker and subsequently be fed to the processing plant
where it will pass through the primary 4' X 4' mill where it will
be slurried and given a rough grind. The material passing 65 mesh
(210 microns) will be sent to the Knelson concentrators with the
oversize being sent to the secondary 4' x 8' mill for additional
closed circuit grinding that is expected to reduce the material to
a size of 80% passing 65 mesh. The ground feed will then be pumped
through a series of rougher and scavenger Knelson concentrators for
final gravity concentration. Data from the ongoing test-work and
the initial processing are being used to develop MetSim models for
each mineralized rock type which will be used to determine optimal
plant configurations. Because the ball mills and Knelson
concentrators are skid mounted and modular, it is possible to
change the plant arrangement in only a few hours to optimize plant
configuration for various rock types. Freegold has also purchased
and installed three portable diesel-fuelled generators that are
capable of generating up to 1.4 MW to provide electrical power to
the processing plant. Loan Closing Freegold is also pleased to
report that it has successfully closed its US $1,791,000
convertible loan facility that was reported on May 20, 2008. This
loan is collateralized against the bulk sampling process equipment
and the privately held land adjacent to the Golden Summit property
upon which the equipment sits, carries an interest rate of 4%, and
is convertible at the option of the lenders into Freegold common
shares at a conversion price of US $1.23/share. The Qualified
Person, Michael P. Gross, M.S., P. Geo., VP Exploration, Freegold
Ventures Limited has reviewed and approved the contents of this
release. About Freegold Ventures Limited Freegold Ventures Limited
is a North American exploration and development company with a
management team experienced in mine development and production, and
that has a proven track-record in transitioning exploration
companies into gold producers. The Company is currently exploring
advanced-stage gold projects in Idaho and Alaska. Freegold holds a
100% lease interest in the Almaden gold project in Idaho. This
large tonnage epithermal gold deposit was the subject of a
feasibility study in 1997 calling for the development of a 95,000
oz/year open pit, heap leach mine. Freegold has recently finalized
a 54,700-foot drilling program which has successful identified
numerous extensions to the gold mineralization, along with newly
identified open-ended areas of molybdenum mineralization. The
Company is in the process of generating a new 43-101 resource which
will be followed with the commencement of new economic evaluations.
Freegold's 40,100-foot drill program in 2007 continued to discovery
new high-grade veins and bulk tonnage shear zones on its 93%
controlled Golden Summit project outside Fairbanks, Alaska. Over 7
million ounces of gold has historically been recovered from Golden
Summit which is situated less than 5 miles to the north of the +7
million ounce Fort Knox Mine. Further evaluation and expansion of
the mineralization is currently being undertaken with a combination
of closely spaced shallow drilling, deeper, systematic core
drilling and on-going bulk sampling program using an on-site
gravity-based concentration plant. Drilling in 2008 will also be
conducted on the company's 100% controlled Rob property, where the
Company has intersected high-grade gold in near surface quartz
veins similar in appearance and grade to those being mined at the
nearby 5.6 million ounce Pogo, and on the Vinasale property, where
the Company has entered into an exploration agreement with option
to lease on a 140,000 acre property in Alaska which contains the
previously identified Vinasale gold deposit. On behalf of the Board
of Directors "Steve Manz" Steve Manz, President and C.E.O.
DISCLAIMER - This news release contains certain "Forward-Looking
Statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other
than statements of historical fact, included herein are
forward-looking statements that involve various risks and
uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will
prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could
differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.
Important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the
Company's documents filed from time to time with the Toronto Stock
Exchange, British Columbia Securities Commission and the United
States Securities & Exchange Commission. The TSX has neither
approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. CUSIP:
45953B107 CONTACT: Mark Feeney, Investor Relations, (604) 786-2587,
DATASOURCE: Freegold Ventures Limited CONTACT: Mark Feeney,
Investor Relations, (604) 786-2587,
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