Draslovka a.s, a provider of sustainability-led technologies, reagents and services for mining and the energy transition, is pleased to announce its subsidiary Encore Minerals (‘Encore Minerals’), a company established with the specific aim of progressing waste to value opportunities, has entered into an agreement with Poseidon Nickel (‘Poseidon’) to retreat and monetise gold and nickel tailings in Western Australia.
Draslovka’s proprietary Glycine Leaching Technology (‘GLT’), comprising GlyCatTM process for precious metals and GlyLeachTM process for base metals, will be an enabler for the extraction of realisable value from Poseidon’s gold and nickel tailings at its Windarra property and potentially from a third-party tailings resource at nearby Lancefield (together the ‘Windarra Tailings Project’).
Previous metallurgical test work for the Windarra Tailings Project had shown potential improvement in recoveries and costs for the site’s gold resources. The test work also established the potential for a technical, economically viable and low-intensity process for recovery of nickel from nickel tailings. A previous feasibility study for the gold resource using conventional cyanidation showed net operating cashflow of A$30.6 million, Net Present Value (NPV8) of A$21.7 million and an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 50.6%, assuming a gold price of A$2,500/oz.
The next step is to undertake a technical programme to optimise the project with both the gold and nickel resources, which will lead to an updated feasibility study and a final investment decision. If successful, the project will lead to the construction of the first GLT processing plant for tailings.
Ivor Bryan, Chief Technology Officer of Draslovka Mining Process Solutions, commented: “We are excited to play an integral role in enabling the retreatment of the gold and nickel tailings at the Windarra Tailings Project by supplying GLT, which has been developed to extract precious and base metals.
“GLT is revolutionary for the mining industry. It has the potential to save mining companies billions of dollars by significantly reducing processing costs, enhancing a mine’s sustainability profile, extending mine life by lowering the cut-off grade and unlocking value hidden in a mine’s tailings. I believe the results at Windarra will be a powerful example of how GLT is a simple yet very effective means to retreat and monetise tailings.”
About Draslovka
Draslovka a.s. (‘Draslovka’) is a chemical technologies, products and services company creating value and improving sustainability in several industries, including mining, agriculture and manufacturing. Today, Draslovka is best known as the world’s largest producer of sodium cyanide, a chemical vital for gold mining however its most important contribution to the sector is its Glycine Leaching Technology (‘GLT’), the company’s proprietary technology that leaches metals (including gold, copper, nickel and cobalt) in a more sustainable and economic manner. Draslovka also manufactures other specialist chemicals and reagents and provides class-leading chemical application services to the mining and pest control industries as well as AI-enabled support services.
About Poseidon Nickel Limited
Poseidon Nickel Limited is a nickel sulphide exploration and development company with three projects located within a radius of 300km from Kalgoorlie in the Goldfields region of Western Australia and a resource base of over 420,000 tonnes of nickel and 180,000 ounces of gold. Poseidon owns the Black Swan, Windarra Nickel and Lake Johnston Projects. A Definitive Feasibility Study on retreating the gold tailings at Windarra and Lancefield was completed in mid-2022. In December 2023 Mt Morgans entered into a trial processing agreement with Poseidon on the Lancefield gold tailings and accessing the water in the South Windarra pit.
About Encore Minerals
Encore Minerals is a Perth based company that provides resource development strategies and includes innovative technologies and plant design with a multi-disciplined understanding of success factors in resources projects. Encore Minerals is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mining and Process Solutions Pty Ltd, a Perth based company that owns several patented processing technologies including the GLT, which is an environmentally friendly hydrometallurgical process that leaches base and precious metal oxide, mixed oxide and sulphide ores. In 2022, Draslovka acquired Mining and Process Solutions Pty Ltd and their patented technologies, and both companies are now part of the Draslovka group.
About Glycine Leaching Technology
Glycine Leaching Technology (‘GLT’) uses glycine, a non-toxic, recyclable and biodegradable amino acid that is commonly used as a food additive, to recover gold, copper, nickel and cobalt. GLT was inspired by nature when researchers at Curtin University in Perth observed plants absorbing gold and other metals out of the soil through the presence of glycine, which carries those metals through the soil and into the plant.
GLT has the capacity to revolutionise the mining industry and the potential to save mining companies billions of dollars. GLT significantly reduces processing costs, enhances a mine’s sustainability profile and can extend mine life by lowering the cut-off grade or unlocking value hidden in a mine’s tailings. GlyCatTM technology for gold from the GLT product family dramatically reduces cyanide usage while also lowering or in some cases completely eliminating detoxification measures. In select ores, the process also results in higher recoveries.
Contacts
Media Enquiries:
Draslovka Holding a.s.
Erik Svamberk
Head of Public Affairs
Tel: +420 723 893 400
Email: erik.svamberk@draslovka.com
FTI Consulting
Viktor Pomichal / Ariadna Peretz
Tel: +44 (0) 7890 417764
Email: draslovka@fticonsulting.com
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