BacTech Receives 99% Gold Recovery from Bioleach Test Work on Ecuador Feedstocks
BacTech Receives 99% Gold Recovery from Bioleach Test Work on
Ecuador Feedstocks
TORONTO, ON., April 21, 2021 – BacTech Environmental Corporation (OTC:BCCEF,
CSE:BAC)(“BacTech or the Company”), a commercially proven environmental technology
company delivering effective and eco-friendly biomining and remediation solutions, today is
pleased to announce what the Company considers to be very positive gold recovery results
from the third-party diagnostic test work being conducted at ALS Laboratories in Perth,
Australia under the guidance of BacTech’s Dr. Paul Miller. ALS Laboratories is a recognized
global leader in metallurgical testing and consulting services for mineral process flowsheet
development and optimization.
Concentrated samples of arsenopyrite and pyrite material collected from small mine producers
in Ponce Enriquez, Ecuador, previously assayed to confirm positive magnitudes of gold, were
subjected to diagnostic leaching as part of a larger program of bioleach testing. Diagnostic
testing provides a rapid and early determination of the magnitude of gold recovery anticipated
from a commercial bioleach process and whether the project should be pursued. Results
received from ALS Laboratories on 20 April confirmed that all the gold in a blend of two
Ecuadorian feedstocks subjected to diagnostic leaching was associated with minerals amenable
to bioleaching giving a 100% gold recovery. Results from diagnostic leach testing of a further
Ecuadorian feedstock returned a value of 99.4% gold recovery.
“BacTech is pleased to report that the much-anticipated diagnostic test results returned
excellent gold liberation values confirming a refractory mineralogy highly amenable to bioleach
processing,” said Ross Orr, President and CEO of BacTech. “Waiting for test results is never
easy, but after two months of diagnostic test work, the anticipated gold recoveries give us the
confidence to move forward to the next step. In short, this confirms operational viability.”
The Company and ALS continue with the formal bioleach test work with respect to bio-
oxidation kinetics; arsenic neutralization and gold recovery to obtain the necessary criteria to
move forward with plant design. The Company anticipates that a site will be selected near
Ponce Enriquez to host the proposed plant in the near future and will subsequently begin the
permitting process which requires extensive lead time when compared to other aspects of the
project.
Following the overall study completion, the Company will award a third-party Feasibility Study
to determine the economic potential of the project. It should be noted that this study is
expected to be simplified by the fact that there are no mining requirements to consider.
Pending project feasibility, a Detailed Engineering Study would then be commissioned. It is
anticipated a Chief Operating Officer responsible for building out the bioleach plant will be
engaged shortly. BacTech will provide the market with updates in due course.
“Subject to travel restrictions, my plan is to visit Ponce soon to identify a suitable location for
this plant,” Orr added. “Although the footprint for our planned bioleaching facility will be small
compared to the total acreage we’re seeking, we envision a need for a sizable material storage
area and capacity for up to, what we hope will be, 20 years of processing material from Ponce
and beyond. Once a plant is established, we anticipate attracting more suppliers of feedstocks
and will aim to make provision at the design stage to allow expansion of the initial plant and
give greater economies of scale.”
The selection of Ponce Enriquez is driven by the extremely high levels of arsenic that are
associated with gold in the +90 small mines in the area which attract high penalties in smelting.
Presently, the miners are forced to sell their production at reduced prices to offshore buyers
due to the high arsenic values in the concentrates, and consequently accept lower financial
returns. By eliminating financial penalties charged for arsenic, BacTech proposes to pay better
prices for the miners’ material.
This press release has been reviewed by Dr Paul C. Miller Ph.D Chem. Eng. C.Eng. MIMM.,
considered a qualified expert for reporting purposes.
About BacTech Environmental Corporation
BacTech is a proven environmental technology company, delivering effective and eco-friendly
biomining and remediation solutions to commercial operations to smartly process and recover
preferred metals (gold, silver, cobalt, and copper) and safely remove and transform harmful
contaminants like arsenic into benign EPA-approved products for landfill. Tapping into
numerous environmental and economic advantages of its proprietary method of bioleaching,
BacTech uses naturally-occurring bacteria, harmless to both humans and the environment, to
neutralize toxic mining sites with high-pay potential.
BacTech is in early discussions to build its new owner-operated bioleaching facility in Ponce
Enriquez, Ecuador where arsenic is well-known to exist alongside gold mining and is
investigating the prospects of establishing additional modern mining operations across other
areas of Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Central America. Where possible, the Company will
partner with national and local governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and
others to assist with the funding of these projects. BacTech is publicly traded on the CSE under
the symbol “BAC” and on the OTC as “BCCEF”.
For further information contact:
Ross Orr,
President & CEO, BacTech Environmental Corporation
416-813-0303 ext. 222,
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.bactechgreen.com
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