PROCESSING

Braveheart selects XRT ore sorting for Bull River

Canadian miner Braveheart plans to use X-Ray technology (XRT) from sensor developer Tomra to sort copper, gold and silver ore at the Bull River project in British Columbia.

 The project hosts copper, gold, silver and cobalt mineralization.

The project hosts copper, gold, silver and cobalt mineralization.

Braveheart said XRT was chosen as the most appropriate technique following tests on 206 rock samples from a stockpile of mineralised material sent to the TOMRA Sorting Solutions facility in Hamburg, Germany.

All samples were subsequently assayed at SGS Canada Inc. in Vancouver, Canada, and the ore sorting study was managed by ABH Engineering.

"These results are extremely encouraging. The study demonstrates that ore sorting can provide economic benefit if introduced during milling of the surface stockpile," said Ian Berzins, President and CEO.

The company plans to introduce ore sorting ahead of the grinding circuit - Braveheart plans to advance the Bull River mine project in a phased approach wherein the surface stockpile of mineralized material will provide the initial feedstock to an up-graded 700 tonne per day mill. 

However, Berzins added that a greater benefit of the sorting is in "mining of the underground Resource of mineralized material that has been pre-developed on seven separate sublevels in the underground workings".

Bull River is an underground operation hosting copper, gold, silver and cobalt mineralization.

"Introduction of ore sorting could have a positive impact on the economics of our Bull River project and result in a reduction in the COG for the deposit and a resulting increase in the size of the Resource and an extension of the mine life. Additionally, it may be applicable at our newly acquired Thierry copper, nickel and silver project in Ontario."

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