Toronto-listed conglomerate gold miner, Novo Resources Corporation has kicked off ‘Phase 2’ mechanical sorter trials of bulk samples taken from its Comet Well, Purdy’s Reward, Egina and Talga Talga gold projects in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The sorter and its infrastructure are designed for deployment at Novo’s assortment of projects to produce gold-bearing concentrates on site in a single pass for further upgrading or downstream processing.
Construction and commissioning of the sorter and its associated infrastructure was completed under Phase 1 of the venture.
The Phase 2 sorter trials will be conducted adjacent to Novo’s Golden Eagle processing plant at its Nullagine gold project in the Pilbara. So far, all of the company’s mill feed at Golden Eagle has been sourced exclusively from its conglomerate gold deposit at Beatons Creek.
Novo has amassed a tenement package in the Pilbara combining for a sizable 13,250 square kilometres with multiple other gold prospects identified at its tenure, including Comet Well, Purdy’s Reward, Egina and Talga Talga.
Novo says that fifty samples from the four projects have now arrived on site for crushing and screening ahead of the Phase 2 sorter testwork. The samples range in size between 800kg and about five tonnes.
The testwork is designed to process samples from Novo’s multiple projects in the Pilbara and to establish assay protocols for the sorter concentrate.
The Phase 2 trials come on the back of several years of testing to establish the suitability of mechanical sorting to Novo’s projects.
In the trials, mechanical sensor-based sorting will utilise x-ray technology, 3D colour laser and metal induction to identify gold-bearing material. A high-pressure air jet will then shoot the gold bearing particles into a collection system to produce a concentrate for further downstream processing.
Novo expects to wrap up the Phase 2 trials by May next year.
Results of the trials will provide complete processing and assaying information on all outstanding coarse, mid, and fines samples from Comet Well, Purdy’s Reward, Egina and Talga Talga and establish operating protocols for processing larger tonnage samples.
A Phase 3 campaign is planned to follow with the sorter and related infrastructure relocated to Comet Well for bulk testing of up to 20,000 tonnes of potentially mineralised material.
Novo Resources Corporation CEO and Director, Rob Humphryson said:“Novo is delighted to see the Sorter in operation at the Nullagine Gold Project…
This represents the culmination of considerable planning involving a dedicated consortium of mechanical, electrical, geological and processing experts aiming to maximize the likelihood of success of an innovative application for sorting in the gold industry. Results from Phase 3 bulk sampling program set to commence in 2022 at the Comet Well and Purdy’s Reward projects, together with the results of the Phase 2 trials at the Nullagine Gold Project this year, are expected to provide sufficient geological and operating certainty to enable Novo to progress towards commercial operations at Novo’s nuggety gold deposits.”
The company churned out more than 18,000 ounces of conglomerate gold from Beatons Creek in the third quarter this year and about 15,000 ounces of gold in quarter two.
With multiple gold targets at its vast tenure in the Pilbara, Novo’s conglomerate gold operations at Beatons Creek could be just the tip of the iceberg if the mechanical sorter trials deliver the goods for the Vancouver-based company.
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By Matt Birney
