TSX-V Trading Symbol: SURG
OTCQX: SRGXF
Frankfurt Trading Symbol: G6D2
VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 19,
2022 /CNW/ - Surge Copper Corp. (TSXV: SURG)
(OTCQX: SRGXF) (Frankfurt: G6D2) ("Surge" or the "Company")
is pleased to announce results from its recently completed
metallurgical testwork program focused on the Seel deposit, located
on the Ootsa Property in central British
Columbia. This testwork program was designed to advance bulk
copper-molybdenum concentrate flotation parameters, confirm
molybdenum recovery performance into a separate molybdenum
concentrate at marketable grades, and investigate further
opportunities to increase precious metal recoveries from tailings
streams within the flowsheet. Surge engaged ALS Metallurgy Kamloops
to complete the testwork program which ran from February 2022 to October
2022.
Highlights
- Large-scale flotation testwork program utilizing a set of 4
composites made up of 2,000 kilograms of sample material
representative of different rock types, grades, and volumes within
the deposit
- Excellent overall molybdenum recoveries from bulk
circuit feed to molybdenum concentrates of 75 to 82 percent
at molybdenum concentrate grades of 47 to 52 percent,
including high separation recoveries relative to bulk
concentrate feed of between 90 to 97 percent
- Confirmation of robust copper and precious metal recoveries in
locked cycle tests across all composites using standardized
parameters resulting in copper concentrates grading between 27
to 29 percent copper, with copper recoveries ranging
from 83 to 90 percent, gold recoveries ranging from
47 to 60 percent, and silver recoveries ranging 41
to 68 percent
- Confirmation of potential for additional leach recoveries of
gold from tailings streams
Leif Nilsson, Chief Executive
Officer, commented: "Overall, this testwork program was quite
successful in that it greatly improved our understanding around
some key variables, and generally advanced our knowledge on
metallurgical performance for this deposit, further preparing us
for future advanced economic or engineering studies. A standardized
set of parameters was able to produce the desired metal recoveries
and give the Surge team great confidence that the varying
lithologies and grade ranges will perform in an operational
scenario."
The Seel deposit forms the largest overall component of the
recently updated mineral resources at Ootsa (see press release
dated June 21, 2022). This testwork
program utilized a set of 4 composites comprised of approximately
2,000 kilograms of sample material derived from 9 separate core
holes drilled from the West Seel zone during the 2020-2021
exploration program. All of the sample material falls within the
current resource estimate, with depths ranging from near-surface at
32 metres downhole depth, to deeper portions of the deposit at 528
metres downhole depth. The program builds on prior testwork
programs completed between 2012 and 2014 that were focused on the
East Seel zone, the West Seel zone, and the Ox deposit at Ootsa.
These prior programs showed greater than 90 percent recovery of
copper to a marketable concentrate in both cleaner flotation and
locked-cycle flotation tests and showed positive results from 3
unoptimized copper-molybdenum separation tests. Collectively, these
testwork programs provide confidence in the ability to use standard
comminution and flotation flowsheets to recover copper, molybdenum,
gold, and silver into marketable concentrates at robust recovery
rates from the distinct mineralized zones that comprise the mineral
resources at Ootsa.
Metallurgical Testwork Program
Details
In the 2022 program, samples were sent to ALS Metallurgy in
Kamloops and subjected to
crushing, grinding, and flotation for recovery of copper,
molybdenum, gold, and silver. The first phase of the program
consisted of 8 rougher flotation tests, 12 cleaner flotation tests,
and 4 locked-cycle flotation tests focused on producing a bulk
copper-molybdenum concentrate. The best result from this phase of
the program produced approximately 90% copper recovery, with the 4
locked-cycle tests across the 4 composites averaging 87% recovery
to a concentrate with an average grade of 27% copper. The finalized
test parameters used a primary grind size of 125 microns with a
rougher concentrate regrind to 20 microns, and 3418A as the
collector. Table 1 provides a simplified summary of the test
results from the bulk circuit locked-cycle tests, and Figure 1
shows an image of a bulk concentrate during a cleaner test,
demonstrating the froth quality.
Table 1. Simplified
Test Results from the Bulk Circuit Locked-Cycle
Tests
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Concentrate
Grade
|
|
Recovery
|
Composite
|
Cu
|
Mo
|
Au
|
Ag
|
|
Cu
|
Mo
|
Au
|
Ag
|
(#)
|
( %)
|
( %)
|
(g/t)
|
(g/t)
|
|
( %)
|
( %)
|
( %)
|
( %)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
27.3
|
2.3
|
11.9
|
241
|
|
88.4
|
74.0
|
54.6
|
44.5
|
2
|
26.7
|
2.6
|
10.3
|
278
|
|
82.9
|
71.4
|
46.7
|
68.4
|
3
|
28.5
|
3.6
|
14.6
|
267
|
|
89.6
|
79.4
|
59.8
|
62.9
|
4
|
27.3
|
1.7
|
11.0
|
264
|
|
87.7
|
75.0
|
52.4
|
40.7
|
Following the confirmation of test parameters for bulk
flotation, the composites were then processed using the developed
test parameters to create a large volume of bulk concentrate for
copper-molybdenum separation testing. In this second phase of the
program, 8 copper-molybdenum separation cleaner tests were run
using a variety of test parameters with the final 4 separation
cleaner tests run under final conditions across each of the
composites. Results for separation testing found high recoveries to
molybdenum concentrates with molybdenum grades approaching or
exceeding 50% and considered saleable. The best result demonstrated
a molybdenum recovery relative to the bulk concentrate feed of 97%
to a concentrate grading 47% molybdenum, with an average recovery
relative to bulk concentrate feed across all 4 composites of 93%
into concentrates with an average molybdenum grade of 50%. Table 2
provides a simplified summary of the test results showing the
characteristics of the separate molybdenum and copper concentrates.
Over the course of the program, the various tests produced a total
of 5.6 kilograms of copper concentrate and 284 grams of molybdenum
concentrate.
Table 2. Simplified
Test Results from Bulk Concentrate Generation and Molybdenum
Separation Tests
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Concentrate
Grade
|
|
Recovery*
|
Composite
|
Cu
|
Mo
|
Au
|
Ag
|
|
Cu
|
Mo
|
Au
|
Ag
|
(#)
|
( %)
|
( %)
|
(g/t)
|
(g/t)
|
|
( %)
|
( %)
|
( %)
|
( %)
|
Molybdenum
Concentrates
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1.0
|
46.8
|
3.9
|
30
|
|
0.1
|
74.9
|
0.8
|
0.3
|
2
|
0.4
|
50.4
|
3.1
|
32
|
|
0.1
|
81.5
|
0.9
|
0.5
|
3
|
0.8
|
51.2
|
5.1
|
36
|
|
0.2
|
82.2
|
1.0
|
0.6
|
4
|
0.4
|
52.4
|
1.8
|
52
|
|
0.0
|
76.4
|
0.3
|
0.3
|
Copper Concentrates
(combined rougher and cleaner tailings from
molybdenum separation)
|
|
|
1
|
26.3
|
0.1
|
11.8
|
221
|
|
89.3
|
2.6
|
55.8
|
48.3
|
2
|
26.1
|
0.1
|
9.6
|
257
|
|
82.0
|
4.0
|
50.5
|
67.3
|
3
|
24.4
|
0.3
|
15.6
|
193
|
|
89.1
|
9.1
|
55.8
|
58.5
|
4
|
23.2
|
0.1
|
9.6
|
230
|
|
84.5
|
7.4
|
50.1
|
41.6
|
*All recoveries are
relative to composite feed grade and represent overall
metallurgical recoveries.
|
|
|
|
The test program also included various tests to indicate whether
additional gold and silver recoveries could be made. Additional
testing was completed on several samples of a flotation pyrite
rougher concentrate mixed with a first cleaner tails of the copper
flotation process of the respective composites. A standardized set
of test parameters that included a re-grind stage, pre-aeration and
oxygen sparging was then run on leach composites made from each
main composite. Final leach results showed promise with gold
recoveries relative to the leach composite feed of up to 87 percent
from the leach composite constructed from test Composite 3.
Results showed average gold recoveries relative to leach composite
feed of 75 percent from all leach composites. Additional studies
will be required to evaluate the economic recovery of adding such a
system to the overall flow sheet that takes into account reagent
and operating costs being offset by additional recoveries.
Upcoming Catalysts
The Company anticipates updating the market on results from the
following activities:
- Drill results from 2022 regional exploration program
- Berg project updates
Quality Control
This metallurgical testwork has been undertaken at ALS
Metallurgy Kamloops which conforms to ISO 9001:2015. The
laboratory also conducts internal QC checks to ensure data is
reported accurately. The analytical lab voluntarily partakes in the
Proficiency Testing Program for Mineral Analysis laboratories
(PTP-MAL). Samples of half core were delivered and, following some
comminution testing, were stage-crushed to -6 mesh (3.35 mm),
homogenized into composites, and rotary split into test charges.
Head samples were split from each of the sub-samples for assay.
Each of the master composites has been analyzed by standard
analytical techniques. Mineralogical analysis was conducted by
QEMSCAN.
Qualified Persons
Dr. Shane Ebert P.Geo., is the
Qualified Person for the Ootsa and Berg projects as defined by
National Instrument 43-101 and has approved the technical
disclosure contained in this news release.
Mark Wheeler, P.Eng., VP of
Projects at the Company as well as a Qualified Person as defined by
National Instrument 43-101, has supervised the preparation of the
technical information in this news release.
About Surge Copper Corp.
The Company owns a 100% interest in the Ootsa Property, an
advanced stage exploration project containing the East Seel, West
Seel and Ox porphyry deposits located adjacent to the open pit
Huckleberry Copper Mine, owned by Imperial Metals. The Ootsa
Property contains pit constrained NI 43-101 compliant resources of
copper, gold, molybdenum, and silver in the Measured and Indicated
categories.
The Company is also earning into a 70% interest in the Berg
Property from Centerra Gold. Berg is a large, advanced stage
exploration project located 28 km northwest of the Ootsa deposits.
Berg contains pit constrained 43-101 compliant resources of copper,
molybdenum, and silver in the Measured and Indicated categories.
Combined, the adjacent Ootsa and Berg properties give Surge a
dominant land position in the Ootsa-Huckleberry-Berg district and
control over four advanced porphyry deposits.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
"Leif Nilsson"
Chief Executive Officer
Twitter: @SurgeCopper
LinkedIn: Surge Copper Corp
https://www.surgecopper.com
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
This News Release contains forward-looking statements, which
relate to future events. In some cases, you can identify
forward-looking statements by terminology such as "will", "may",
"should", "expects", "plans", or "anticipates" or the negative of
these terms or other comparable terminology. All statements
included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are
forward looking statements, including but not limited to the
Company's plans regarding the Berg Property and the Ootsa Property.
These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's
actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements to
be materially different from any future results, levels of
activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by
these forward-looking-statements. Such uncertainties and risks may
include, among others, actual results of the Company's exploration
activities being different than those expected by management,
delays in obtaining or failure to obtain required government or
other regulatory approvals, the ability to obtain adequate
financing to conduct its planned exploration programs, inability to
procure labour, equipment and supplies in sufficient quantities and
on a timely basis, equipment breakdown, impacts of the current
coronavirus pandemic, and bad weather. While these
forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are
based, are made in good faith, and reflect the Company's current
judgment regarding the direction of its business, actual results
will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates,
predictions, projections, assumptions, or other future performance
suggestions herein. Except as required by applicable law, the
Company does not intend to update any forward-looking statements to
conform these statements to actual results.
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SOURCE Surge Copper Corp.