RZOLV Reports Approximately 97.0% Gold Recovery on Complex Copper-Gold Ore Without Pretreatment, Highlighting Potential to Simplify Flowsheets Versus Cyanide
“97% Gold Recovery on Copper‑Gold Ore Without Pretreatment Signals Major Flow‑Sheet Simplification for RZOLV”
RZOLV reported a laboratory bottle‑roll leach test on a complex copper‑gold ore (≈9.6 g/t Au, 2.12 % Cu) that achieved 96.97 % gold recovery after 168 hours with no pretreatment and without cyanide. The test used the company’s proprietary non‑cyanide “RZOLV” reagent at a pulp density of 20 % and particle size of –500 µm. Management highlighted several potential benefits:
- Elimination or reduction of a separate copper‑cyanide (SART) circuit, simplifying plant design.
- Lower capital expenditures and operating complexity.
- Applicability to lower‑grade or copper‑bearing gold ores where cyanide is penalized.
The release includes detailed recovery kinetics, independent assay verification by ALS Laboratories, and plans for further scale‑up testing.
Why it is material:
- Extends the technology’s proven performance from oxide/sulfide concentrates (previous SGS test) and bulk‑scale vat leach (73 t test) to copper‑bearing gold ores, a segment that traditionally suffers from cyanide toxicity and costly SART circuits.
- Demonstrates near‑complete gold recovery (>96 %) without any pretreatment, directly addressing one of the biggest commercial barriers for non‑cyanide leaching.
- The result is new (first disclosed performance on this ore type) and not merely a routine update; it could materially improve project economics for future customers and broaden the addressable market.
Given prior material positive releases (Jan 5 bulk test, Jan 12 SGS test), this news adds a distinct capability that can unlock additional projects and potentially accelerate commercial adoption. Hence the rating is Material – Positive rather than routine.
RZOLV Technologies develops a proprietary water‑based, non‑cyanide hydrometallurgical reagent (“RZOLV”) for gold (and select critical metals) extraction. The flagship effort is the Arizona pilot program with ERD, targeting up to 100 t/d of pre‑screened ore in a closed‑loop tank leach system. Successful scale‑up would validate commercial deployment across copper‑bearing and oxide/sulfide gold deposits.