Adex Mining Inc. (TSX VENTURE:ADE) has announced results from its zinc/indium hydrometallurgical pilot test program being conducted at the pilot facilities of Thibault and Associates Inc. in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Indium sponge metal grading 96.25% indium and zinc metal grading 98.89% zinc were produced from the pilot plant operations in December 2010/January 2011. Feed for the successful pilot run originated from zinc/indium concentrate from previous testwork on the North Zone ("NZ") of Adex's wholly-owned Mount Pleasant Mine Property ("Mount Pleasant" or the "Property") located in south-western New Brunswick, Canada.
In addition to the pilot testing, computer simulation of the proprietary, chloride-based process technology is in progress by Thibault to optimize operating and plant design parameters for the hydrometallurgical flowsheet.
"I continue to be very optimistic," stated Errol Farr, Adex President and CEO. "As previously stated, the potential to produce and direct market high grade indium and zinc products places Adex in a unique position amongst junior mining companies."
The hydromet process, developed by Thibault for Adex, involves chloride leaching of zinc sulphide concentrate containing approximately 4500 ppm indium and recovering indium and zinc through a series of solvent extraction and solution purification unit operations. In addition to the production of high purity indium and zinc, the technology is designed to optimize on the regeneration of leaching reagents and to assure compliance with environmental guidelines.
Indium production at Mount Pleasant is planned at 40 tonnes per year ("tpy"), with about 4,000 tpy of zinc metal. Adex also plans to produce about 1500 tpy of tin metal either as high purity metal or as metal contained in tin concentrate.
QUALIFIED PERSON
J. Dean Thibault, P. Eng., Senior Process Chemical Engineer and Principal of Thibault & Associates Inc., an independent qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information contained in this press release in compliance with NI 43-101.
Source: Adex Mining Inc.