EnviroGold Global Ltd has filed a patent application for a proprietary electrochemical process designed to achieve advanced metal recoveries from refractory ores with reduced capital expenditure compared with industry-standard solutions, adding to the company’s suite of solutions for metal recovery and environmental remediation.
“We are very pleased with this development that we believe increases the value of our intellectual property portfolio and expands the company’s opportunities to remediate legacy tailings dumps.”, Dr Mark Thorpe, EnviroGold Global’s CEO, said. “The residual metals contained in tailings are commonly encapsulated in refractory ores and it is estimated that the value of precious metals currently locked up in tailings storage facilities and old mine sites exceeds $1 trillion, increasing by $20 billion per annum. Further, as the proportion of refractory gold reserves continues to increase globally, we believe the ability to achieve advanced metal recovery rates and attractive economics from the processing of refractory ores provides better environmental outcomes, expands the company’s addressable market and creates an enduring, competitive advantage.”
Commenting on the patent filing, EnviroGold Global’s Chief Technology Officer, Brock Hill, said: “Refractory ores resist conventional metal extraction due to an impervious mineral matrix surrounding super-fine metal particles. The complex processes required to significantly improve extraction from these ores can drive substantial increases in a project’s capital expenditure and operating expenditure, often rendering otherwise attractive resource recovery opportunities uneconomic. EnviroGold Global’s patent pending process is designed with advanced electrochemical technology to induce changes in the metal-bearing matrix and achieve superior metal recovery rates.”
This process, in conjunction with other proprietary solutions developed for the removal of environmental contaminants, including cyanide, allows EnviroGold Global to provide a compelling value proposition for mine site owners while reclaiming and recharging natural resources, ultimately positioning the company to actively increase its significant tailings reprocessing pipeline, it said.
