Mar 2 2016
Dundee Sustainable Technologies Inc. ("DST" or the "Corporation") is proud to announce that it has successfully completed its piloting campaign ("Piloting") on gold concentrates (the "Concentrate") provided by Empresa Nacional de Minería, Chile ("ENAMI"), using DST's proprietary technology.
In September 2015, DST received 2 Tonnes of Concentrate from ENAMI to be used for Piloting (refer to September 23, 2015 press release). The Concentrate contained 121 g/T of gold, 9.2% copper and a mercury content of 787 g/T. Through controlled oxidation, DST removed 99.7% of the sulphide and 99.6% of the mercury content. The calcine material was then submitted to acid and water leaching where 99% of the copper was recovered as copper sulphate. DST's chlorination process that followed achieved a gold recovery of 98.8% and a final gold deposition over silica recovery of 99.8%.
DST is pleased with the results of the piloting phase. This Piloting is part of a phased approach established between DST and ENAMI with the objective of implementing a processing facility, utilizing DST's patented technology, in Chile.
DST and ENAMI will advance towards developing the technical and economic feasibility criteria for the implementation on a commercial scale of the DST process in Chile.
About ENAMI, a Chilean state-owned company
ENAMI's mission is to promote the small and medium size private mining sector in Chile, by supplying technical, financial, metallurgical, production and trading services to small and medium size miners. ENAMI's assets include one smelter, five processing plants and a network of technical support and facilities. ENAMI purchases ore and concentrate from producers in various purchasing agencies located throughout Chile.
About Dundee Sustainable Technologies, a company controlled by Dundee Corporation
The Corporation is engaged in the development of environment-friendly technologies for the treatment of materials in the mining industry. Through the development of patented, proprietary processes, DST extracts precious and base metals from ores, concentrates and tailing, while stabilizing contaminants such as arsenic, which could not otherwise be extracted or stabilized with conventional processes because of metallurgical issues or environmental considerations.
At present, DST most advanced proprietary processes are associated to the extraction of precious metals using a chlorination process which provides a cyanide-free alternative for the exploitation of gold deposits. The primary benefits of this innovative technology are shorter processing times, a closed-loop operation eliminating the need for costly tailings pond, and a reduced environmental footprint related to the inert and stable characteristics of the cyanide free tailings.
The chlorination process developed by DST is a recognized "green technology" for which it was awarded a $5 million grant by the Government of Canada for the construction and operation of a demonstration plant. The plant will serve as a demonstration platform for the chlorination process on an industrial scale and under continuous operating conditions.
In addition to this chlorination process, DST completed the construction of a pilot plant designed to demonstrate its arsenic stabilization process which is designed for the sequestration of arsenic in a stable glass form. This process is becoming an attractive technique to segregate the arsenic and is therefore opening opportunities for materials considered to contain too much of this toxic material to be exploited or stabilized using conventional approaches.
DST has filed, published and was granted patents for these processes in several countries.
Source: http://www.dundeetechnologies.com/