Further Opportunities Identified
Comparative trials showed lead nitrate could accelerate early silver extraction under standard cyanide conditions, although its additional benefit diminished after 48 hours at higher cyanide concentrations.
On the second composite, a reduced-reagent trial extracted 85.3% of silver after 24 hours and 85.4% after 48 hours, compared with 86.6% and 87.1% under a higher-cyanide regime without lead nitrate.
Another test using a coarser grind achieved 83.9% silver extraction after 24 hours and 83.7% after 48 hours, suggesting scope to investigate reduced grinding energy requirements.
“The results highlight clear opportunities to further optimise recoveries, reagent consumption and processing conditions as we evaluate the optimal development pathway,” managing director Andrew Dornan said.
“With active US government engagement focused on large-scale domestic development, maximising US metal production, and strengthening critical mineral supply chains, we continue to evaluate processing options capable of maximising silver, gold, and potential antimony recovery.”
