Novo looks to commercialise Pilbara mechanical ore sorting

Toronto-listed Novo Resources looks set to commence phase two mechanical sorting trials on its Pilbara gold deposits that will involve the trialling of 50 samples through the ore sorting machine. The company says its ore sorter will be installed adjacent to the Golden Eagle processing facility in Nullagine and it expects trials to commence early next month. Following testing, Novo will relocate the unit and has plans to commercialise some of its Pilbara conglomerate gold deposits courtesy of the ore sorter.

The company says the sorter is currently en-route to the Golden Eagle processing facility and is set to be commissioned in early December with phase two trials to follow shortly after.

The phase two test program will be aimed at producing a concentrate for gold assay using a sample set that ranges in size from 800 kilograms to five tonnes. The samples will be crushed and screened into three different sizes and fed into the sorter where the concentrate will be produced.

Novo anticipates the second test phase will be wrapped up by mid next year.

The company says after testing the sorter will be mobilised to its Comet Well and Purdy’s Reward projects in Karratha and will embark on a large-scale bulk sampling program that it says could shift into a mechanical sorting commercialisation effort that takes in its Pilbara conglomerate gold deposits.

Novo Resources Chief Executive Officer, Rob Humphryson said:

“We are looking forward to observing Sorter performance from field samples collected at Comet Well, Purdy’s Reward, Talga Talga, and Egina ahead of larger-scale field trials at Comet Well and Purdy’s Reward scheduled for Q2 2022.”

The ore sorter’s trial at the Golden Eagle processing facility follows years of test work by Novo to determine the amenability of mechanical sorting of its ore from its 13,250 square kilometre landholdings in WA.

The sorting unit leans on a suite of technology tools to identify gold-bearing material and sideline the waste ore. Those tools include 3D colour laser, metal induction and x-ray technology. A high-pressure jet “shoots” the gold-bearing particles into a collection system to produce a gold concentrate for further downstream processing.

Novo’s freshly minted Nullagine gold project churned out 18,144 ounces of gold in Q3 and around 14,890 ounces in Q2.

Some 451,000 tonnes of dirt was pushed through the company’s Golden Eagle processing plant in Q3, up 23 per cent from the previous quarterly figures.

All eyes will be on Novo as it kicks off phase two mechanical ore sorting trials that may yet prove to be a game changer for the Novo who is at the tip of the spear in commercialising conglomerate gold deposits in Australia.

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