The ore sorting trial was done on an 840-kg using X-ray transmission technology. The results recovered 89.7% of the gold from the bulk sample into a mass only 54.3% of the original sample, and the head grade was boosted 1.65 times in the concentrate.
With the ore sorting done, the idea of trucking it about 70 km by road to the site of the proposed 15-Mile mill makes economic sense, said the company.
Other de-risking considerations for the Cochrane Hill project include better recoveries using the 15-Mile mill and no need to establish a tailings management facility at the mine. The pit design could be optimized to eliminate the need to relocate a public road.
With no mill on site, water use would be considerably reduced, and the long-term waste rock storage could be altered to further reduce the project footprint and improve the landform design post-reclamation.
St Barbara’s Atlantic Gold division includes the now-closed Touquoy…
