Western Australian gold explorer BMG Resources (ASX:BMG) has achieved average ‘high-grade’ gold recoveries of up to 95% through metallurgical testwork conducted on samples from the Abercromby Gold Project in Western Australia.
The company says metallurgical testing on Abercromby core samples have confirmed its free milling status, and amenability to carbon-in-leach (CIL) processing.
The study was conducted on drill core samples representative of fresh Abercromby mineralisation, and the results are consistent with, or exceed those from previous metallurgical testwork undertaken at the project.
Commenting on the results, BMG Resources Managing Director Bruce McCracken says: “These excellent results are in line with our expectations from high-level testwork undertaken previously and represent another important step in our progression of the Abercromby Gold Project.
This second study has reinforced the highly recoverable character of Abercromby gold mineralisation using a conventional gravity-cyanidation flowsheet, and extrapolations of these results implies high gold recoveries for the entire deposit.
Free milling ore with high gold recoveries and low reagent consumption will significantly bolster project economies at Abercromby where BMG is targeting a maiden resource at the Capital deposit.”
BMG Resources reports the testwork was conducted by Perth-based Extreme Metallurgy on 2 50kg quarter core composites from Abercromby, following a ‘typical’ gravity-cyanidation flowsheet. The results of the testwork are being reviewed by GR Engineering Services, who have been retained by BMG Resources to advise on project development at Abercromby.
The samples were selected by BMG’s geological team, comprising intervals of fresh, component, and mineralised core which is interpreted to be representative of the greater mineralised system, and located within the main mineralised portion of the deposit.
The company says both samples were tested via a ‘typical’ gravity gold recovery followed by cyanidation by Metallurgy Laboratories in Welshpool. Both composites also achieved ‘high’ gold recoveries of 93%, and 94.94% for composite 1, and 2 respectively.
All testwork was conducted in Perth tap water as no site water was available at the time of the test. While the reported reagent consumptions are considered low processing in saline-hypersaline water, the company says in practice may increase both the lime, and cyanide consumption due to water chemistry changes.
BMG Resources reports water quality detail is still scarce for the deposit, but will be addressed with additional testwork in due course to better understand the impact it will have on reagent consumption.
The company also notes future work is planned to optimise the processing parameters as it moves closer to economic evaluation, and eventual exploitation of the deposit.
BMG Resources is an ASX-listed gold exploration company with 3 wholly owned projects in Western Australia. These projects are the Abercromby, Invincible, and South Boddington projects.
The Abercromby project is located in the Agnew-Wiluna Greenstone Belt, and the company says it is focusing on drilling at the Capital Prospect concurrently with regional exploration programs to the south of Capital.
