Banyan Gold Announces Positive Metallurgical Test Results, AurMac Project, Mayo, Yukon

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 6, 2024 / Banyan Gold Corp. (the "Company" or "Banyan") (TSXV:BYN)(OTCQB:BYAGF) is pleased to announce positive results from the Phase 1 metallurgical test program conducted on the Company's AurMac Project in the Yukon Territory. Phase 1 metallurgical testing focused on the AurMac Project's Powerline Deposit ("Powerline") as Powerline hosts the majority of the Project's 6.2 million ounce ("Moz") gold inferred Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE"). Results from the metallurgical test program demonstrate robust recoveries throughout Powerline, identifying multiple conventional mineral processing flow sheets which the Company continues to advance and optimize through ongoing metallurgical test work.

Highlights :

  • Gold recoveries averaged 91% from 75 micron ("um") (200 Mesh) bottle roll cyanidation tests.

  • Gold recoveries estimated to be 91% for the Carbon in Leach ("CIL")/Carbon in Pulp ("CIP") process.

  • Gold recoveries for the combined gravity and flotation process are estimated at 84%.

  • Heap leach gold recovery is estimated to range from 64-72% based on coarse size (9.5 mm) bottle roll testing, conventional column leach tests and Vat leach diffusion extraction testing.

  • Flotation recovery into a rougher concentrate recovered on average 89% of the gold with a low mass pull of 3.7%, indicative that a small percentage of material would require further processing.

  • Low cyanide consumption at an average of 0.52 kg/mt for primary grind of P80 passing 75 um.

  • Gravity recovery has shown it may be an effective part of the flow sheet.

  • Low sulphide concentration and excess buffering capacity indicates Powerline is non-acid generating.

"Metallurgical test work highlights robust gold recoveries with multiple conventional mineral processing flow sheets and further optimization has a high likelihood to result in increased overall gold recoveries," Tara Christie, President & CEO, stated. "These results represent a significant step forward at AurMac and continued work will focus on crush and grind sizes, in addition to power and reagent consumption. Work will be focused to support a future economic study using one or more of the identified processes."

Potential Mineral Processing Flow Sheets

Three gold recovery process flow sheets have been identified through the Phase 1 test program. This includes CIL or CIP gold extraction processes (91% gold recovery). The CIL/CIP flow sheet is the most commonly used milling gold recovery method worldwide. Canadian examples include Agnico Eagle's Detour Lake and Malartic Mines in Ontario and Quebec, respectively. The second process is conventional mill flotation (84% gold recovery) which is used at Kinross Gold's Paracatu Mine in Brazil and Centamin's Sukari Mine in Egypt. Test work supportive of gravity recoverable gold was also carried out that indicates a gravity recovery circuit could be included in either the CIL/CIP or mill flotation flow sheets to enhance gold recoveries and reduce reagent consumption. The third flow sheet is heap leach processing (64-72% gold recovery), a commonly used method for high volume, low-grade gold deposits; examples include Victoria Gold's nearby Eagle Mine in the Yukon and Kinross Gold's Fort Knox Mine in Alaska. Mines such as Fort Knox utilize both heap leaching and conventional mill processing.