This report presents the results of a pre-feasibility study for the Cascabel Project, including metallurgical testwork and a proposed processing flowsheet for the Alpala deposit.
Report context
The NI 43-101 Technical Report on Pre-Feasibility Study for the Cascabel Project, located in Imbabura Province, Ecuador, was prepared for SolGold Plc by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. The effective date of the report is 31 December 2023, and the report date is 8 March 2024. The report covers mineral processing and metallurgical testing, mineral resource estimates, metallurgy and processing, mineral reserve estimates, mining method, recovery method, project infrastructure, and cost estimates.
Processing route
Comminution
The report describes comminution testwork for primary grind and rougher concentrate regrind. Primary grinding testwork was conducted to determine the appropriate grind size for the flotation feed. Rougher concentrate regrind testwork evaluated the grind required to achieve adequate liberation for cleaner flotation.
Flotation
Open circuit rougher and cleaner flotation testwork was performed to evaluate the flotation response of the mineralisation. Locked cycle flotation tests were conducted to simulate a continuous flotation circuit and assess the potential for achieving final concentrate grades and recoveries. Variability testwork was completed on samples representing different zones of the deposit to evaluate metallurgical performance across the resource.
Solid-Liquid Separation
Solid-liquid separation testwork was carried out to evaluate the thickening and filtration characteristics of both the final concentrate and flotation tailings.
Flotation Tailings Gold Recovery
Testwork was conducted to assess the potential for recovering gold from the flotation tailings.
Recovery Estimates
The report provides recovery estimates for the proposed processing route, based on the metallurgical testwork program.
Concentrate Quality
Concentrate quality was evaluated based on the results from the locked cycle flotation testwork and mineralogical analysis.
Key reported parameters
| Parameter | Reported Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Primary grind size | Reported in testwork | Design basis from metallurgical testwork |
| Rougher concentrate regrind size | Reported in testwork | Design basis from metallurgical testwork |
| Flotation recovery | Reported in testwork | From open circuit, locked cycle, and variability testwork |
| Concentrate grade | Reported in testwork | From locked cycle flotation testwork |
| Solid-liquid separation performance | Reported in testwork | From thickening and filtration testwork |
Project website: https://solgold.com/projects/ecuador/cascabel-project/
Technical qualifications
The mineral processing and metallurgical testing described in this report is based on laboratory-scale testwork programs. The report states that open circuit rougher and cleaner flotation, locked cycle flotation, and variability testwork were completed, but the specific numerical results are not included in the provided sections. The report notes that the proposed flowsheet is based on these testwork results but does not provide detailed flowsheet diagrams or mass balance information in the extracted text.
Source: NI 43-101 Technical Report on Pre-Feasibility Study for the Cascabel Project, effective date 31 December 2023, report date 8 March 2024, Section 13 Mineral Processing and Metallurgical Testing, Section 17 Recovery Methods.
