Azure Minerals Increases Recoveries and Concentrate Grades at Oposura

THE BOURSE WHISPERER: Azure Minerals (ASX: AZS) completed further metallurgical testwork at the company’s 100 per cent-owned Oposura zinc-lead-silver project in Mexico.

Azure Minerals reported the testwork has continued to make improvements on the already positive results it has achieved to date at Oposura.

Locked cycle flotation tests, simulating the continuous operation of a typical sulphide flotation circuit, demonstrate that Oposura can expect increased zinc and lead recoveries with higher concentrate grades than those reported previously.

“The successful production of clean, commercial grade concentrates at high recoveries has eliminated a possible major project risk and strongly enhances the project potential,” Azure Minerals said in its ASX announcement.

The latest testwork comprised a locked cycle test involving a typical lead-silver and zinc sulphide flowsheet which represents an industry standard flotation circuit.

The result of the locked cycle test was a zinc concentrate grading a high 57.2 per cent zinc with a zinc recovery of 85.6 per cent and a lead concentrate grading 61.4 per cent lead at a lead recovery of 84 per cent.

Silver recovery to the lead concentrate was 67.1 per cent silver at a concentrate grade of 323.8 grams per tonne silver (10.4 oz/t silver).

Both the zinc and the lead concentrate grades achieved in the locked cycle test were high above the typical industry benchmark grades of 53 per cent zinc and 60 per cent lead, thereby improving the marketability of both products.

“Azure expects that, under standard operating parameters, recovery of zinc and lead into their respective concentrates would be greater than those achieved in the locked cycle test, should the company wish to produce concentrates at the lower benchmark quoted concentrate grades,” the company said.

 

Website: www.azureminerals.com.au