PTX Metals has completed its first locked cycle metallurgical test on mineralization from the W2 Copper-Nickel-PGE Project in Northern Ontario, recovering 97% of the copper into a concentrate grading 28% copper, 7.2 g/t palladium and 0.8 g/t gold.

The test work, conducted at SGS Lakefield, simulated continuous processing conditions using a flowsheet that ground the sample to an 80% passing particle size of 50 microns followed by a rougher and three stages of flotation cleaning. In addition to the copper recovery, the locked cycle run captured 70% of the palladium and 54% of the gold into the final concentrate.

Positioned near infrastructure at the gateway to the Ring of Fire region, the polymetallic project features an exploration target outlining 59 million to 135 million tonnes averaging 0.78% to 1.03% copper equivalent. The nickel circuit was excluded from the locked cycle test due to mass limitations, though nickel remains a strategic focus for the system.

“These results represent another important technical validation point for W2,” said Greg Ferron, President and CEO of PTX Metals. “Recovering 97% of the copper into a 28% copper concentrate using a relatively simple flowsheet is an encouraging result as we continue to build our understanding of the W2 mineralized system. Alongside our ongoing exploration work, metallurgy is an important part of systematically de-risking the project and building the technical foundation required to evaluate its longer-term potential.”

Future metallurgical testing will focus on improving precious metal recoveries, assessing the impact of grind size and head grade variability on grade and recovery, and evaluating the potential to recover and upgrade nickel in a separate flotation circuit.

Read the full announcement: PTX Metals Demonstrates 97% Copper Recovery from Locked Cycle Test at W2 Copper-Nickel-PGE Project