Metallurgical testing for BMG Resources has confirmed that it achieved a 93 to 95 per cent gold recovery using typical gravity and cyanide carbon-in-leach processing at its Abercromby gold project near Wiluna in Western Australia. Samples of unoxidized drill core were tested and the ore was found to be free milling with the majority of the gold leached in the first eight hours. The gravity circuit recovered between 34 and 41 per cent of the gold with low reagent consumption also reported.
BMG says the current testing was rigorous with results similar or better than previous metallurgical testing from 2021. The testing was undertaken in Perth by Extreme Metallurgy and reviewed by GR Engineering Services. Two 50kg composite samples of quarter core were used in the tests which were designed to follow gravity/cyanidation processes typical of most WA gold mines. The two samples assayed 1.35g/t gold and 1.87g/t gold with low silver and low levels of deleterious elements of copper and arsenic.
BMG argues that geologists selected core considered to reflect the greater mineralised system and located within the main mineralised portion of the deposit. Mineralisation was reported as being characterised by silica, pyrite, carbonate altered basalt and dolerite and punctuated by quartz and quartz carbonate stockwork veins.
The Perth metallurgical test work was carried out using tap water because no typical site processing water was available. This led to low reagent, lime and cyanide consumption and BMG will now undertake additional future testing using the saline water expected from the site. The company believes the method is not expected to change radically, although increased consumption is anticipated. Future test work will seek to optimise the metallurgical processing parameters to feed into the economic evaluation of the deposit.
BMG Resources Managing Director, Bruce McCracken said: “These excellent results represent another important step in our progression of the Abercromby Gold Project. Free milling ore with high gold recoveries and low reagent consumption will significantly bolster project economics at Abercromby where BMG is targeting a maiden Resource at the Capital deposit.”
BMG’s Abercromby gold project is located in the 40M ounce Agnew-Wiluna greenstone hosted gold belt of Western Australia. The company says there is excellent regional infrastructure and proximity to numerous operating gold mines. Its Capital deposit lies within a granted mining lease and has a confirmed strike length over 1.3km with two parallel lodes being drilled. The Capital deposit is open in all directions with further potential being present at the Archer, Barrack and Capital South deposits located on the Abercromby leases.
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