Aurum achieves high recoveries at reduced cost at Côte d'Ivoire gold project

Aurum Resources has confirmed yet another strong metallurgical result from its flagship Boundiali gold project in Côte d'Ivoire, achieving gold recoveries as high as 97.1 per cent while simultaneously reducing costs via significant reductions in cyanide and lime reacting agents in the process. 

The company engaged Perth-based engineering and construction company MACA Interquip Mintrex to manage the metallurgical test work scoping study for its 1037 square kilometre Boundiali project. Follow up test results confirmed exceptional gold recovery rates of between 95-99 per cent through a combination of gravity separation and leaching.

Notably gravity recovery alone accounted for 50-60 per cent of gold recovery, a testament to the free-milling nature of the ore.

The impressive gold recoveries were achieved at a relatively coarse grind size of 106 microns or 0.106mm highlighting even more cost-efficiencies at the project. 

Aurum has also reported a significant reduction in reagent consumption, with lime use dropping by 32 per cent and cyanide requirements slashed by 40 per cent during leaching of gravity tailings compared to whole-ore cyanidation. 

The company says the results pave the way for a streamlined and low-cost gold processing circuit, combining gravity concentration with a standard carbon-in-leach setup.

Management insists the good news is set to continue into the new year, maintaining that the company is on track to deliver an inaugural JORC resource for Boundiali in the coming days. 

Aurum Resources Managing Director Dr. Caigen Wang said: “We’ve again received excellent outcomes from the latest metallurgical testwork at our Boundiali Gold Project. The results show that we can achieve high gold recoveries exceeding 95%, with a significant portion of the gold recoverable through the cheapest method – gravity separation. This will also reduce the amount of cyanide and lime needed in the leaching circuit by around 32% and 40%, respectively, in what is expected to be a typical gravity concentration and Carbon-in-Leach (CIL) circuit.”

Dr Wang says its takeover of Mako Gold, announced on October 11, has surpassed the 70 per cent ownership threshold and is now unconditional, with the merger to combine Mako’s 868,000-ounce Napié gold project with Aurum’s Boundiali assets to build a strong platform for regional operation efficiencies.

Aurum is showing no signs of slowing down at Boundiali, with six company-owned diamond drill rigs operating at full capacity for a mind-boggling amount of continuous news for a gold junior on the ASX. 

The company says it is planning to complete an ambitious 100,000m of diamond drilling in 2025 which would double the amount of metres sunk by the junior in the past 12 months. 

Drilling will focus on delineating known gold zones and identifying new high-priority targets across the project’s extensive 1,037km² tenement area.

The pending merger will combine Mako’s 868,000-ounce Napié gold project with Aurum’s Boundiali assets creating an impressive footprint of prospective gold exploration assets in the mineral rich Côte d'Ivoire.

Aurum says it remains well-funded to execute its ambitious exploration activities next year and a scoping study over Boundiali with a robust cash position of some $23 million.

Next year promises to be just as busy for Aurum. It has an imminent inaugural resource about to drop for Boundiali and with plans to double its drilling to 100,000m over the next 12 months, the company is looking to make good on its promise to become the region’s next low-cost gold producer.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au