Commencement of Phase 2 Mechanical Sorter Trials at Nullagine Gold Project
HIGHLIGHTS
- Steinert KSS 100F LIXT fine mechanical sorting unit (the "Sorter") constructed and commissioned at the Company's Nullagine gold project (the "Nullagine Gold Project") in Western Australia
- Comet Well and Purdy's Reward samples have been processed with results pending
- Concentrates undergoing assessment by Novo geologists ahead of assay to determine gold content
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 21, 2021 -- Novo Resources Corp. ("Novo" or the "Company") (TSX: NVO, NVO.WT & NVO.WT.A) (OTCQX: NSRPF) is pleased to advise that Phase 2 mechanical sorter trials have commenced at the Nullagine Gold Project.
Over recent weeks, the Sorter infrastructure has been mobilized, constructed, and commissioned adjacent to the Company's Golden Eagle processing plant at the Nullagine Gold Project. Fifty samples from the Company's Comet Well, Purdy's Reward, Egina, and Talga Talga projects ranging in size from 800 kg to approximately five tonnes have been delivered to the site for crushing and screening ahead of Phase 2 Sorter testwork1.
The testwork program in late 2021 and early 2022 is designed to achieve multiple objectives:
- Construct and commission the Sorter and associated infrastructure (Phase 1 - complete)
- Tune the Sorter to the various geological regimes and size fractions and train Novo operators in its use
- Process samples from multiple Novo projects around the Pilbara to field test mass pull to concentrate1
- Establish assay protocols for Sorter concentrate 'accepts' and waste 'rejects'. Smaller concentrate mass will be processed by Chrysos PhotonAssay at Intertek's laboratory in Perth, Western Australia2. The Acacia reactor and electrowinning apparatus in the gold room at the Nullagine Gold Project is being commissioned to accept larger masses of material from accepts and reject samples. This will be particularly important as the testwork program moves to Phase 3 at the Company's Comet Well project in 2022 to test bulk samples (up to 20,000 tonnes of potentially mineralized material from the Comet Well and Purdy's Reward projects).
The Sorter infrastructure, designed and constructed by OPS Screening and Crushing Equipment, is a fully modular and containerized turn-key plant deployable to any of Novo's tenements in the future for testwork and potential large bulk sampling and processing. The Sorter includes feed and product transfer conveyors, allowing the Sorter to produce gold-bearing concentrates in a single pass for further upgrading or downstream processing.
This Phase 2 trial of the Sorter within the Golden Eagle processing facility area is the culmination of several years of test work conducted by Novo to determine the amenability of mechanical sorting to its 13,250 sq km of tenements across Western Australia. Mechanical sensor-based sorting utilizes x-ray technology, 3D colour laser, and metal induction to identify gold-bearing material. A high-pressure air jet 'shoots' these gold bearing particles into a collection system to produce a concentrate for further downstream processing1.
A drone fly-over video of the installed Sorter facility at the Nullagine Gold Project is available here.
Next steps:
- Phase 2 completion prior to May 2022 - complete processing and assaying of all outstanding coarse, mid, and fines samples from the Company's Comet Well, Purdy's Reward, Egina and Talga Talga projects and establish operating protocols for processing larger mass
- Phase 3 commencing May 2022 (subject to approval from the Western Australian Department of Water and Environmental Regulation) - relocate the Sorter and infrastructure to the Comet Well project for bulk testwork
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6581c09a-0d7f-469e-9a81-4d46a075318c
(Figure 1: The Sorter and associated infrastructure undergoing final construction and commissioning at the Nullagine Gold Project.)
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/476ae00e-f811-40c3-9a4e-83d6451694f1
(Figure 2: The Sorter. Note the Company's Golden Eagle processing facility in the background.)
"Novo is delighted to see the Sorter in operation at the Nullagine Gold Project," commented Mr. Rob Humphryson, CEO and a director of Novo. "This represents the culmination of considerable planning involving a dedicated consortium of mechanical, electrical, geological and processing experts aiming to maximize the likelihood of success of an innovative application for sorting in the gold industry. Results from Phase 3 bulk sampling program set to commence in 2022 at the Comet Well and Purdy's Reward projects, together with the results of the Phase 2 trials at the Nullagine Gold Project this year, are expected to provide sufficient geological and operating certainty to enable Novo to progress towards commercial operations at Novo's nuggety gold deposits."
QP STATEMENT
Dr. Quinton Hennigh (P.Geo.) is the qualified person, as defined under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, responsible for, and having reviewed and approved, the technical information contained in this news release. Dr. Hennigh is the non-executive co-chairman and a director of Novo.
ABOUT NOVO
Novo operates its flagship Beatons Creek gold project while exploring and developing its prospective land package covering approximately 13,250 square kilometres in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. In addition to the Company's primary focus, Novo seeks to leverage its internal geological expertise to deliver value-accretive opportunities to its shareholders. For more information, please contact Leo Karabelas at (416) 543-3120 or e-mail leo@novoresources.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors,
"Michael Spreadborough"
Michael Spreadborough
Executive Co-Chairman
Forward-looking information
Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information (within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation) including, without limitation, that samples from the Company's Comet Well, Purdy's Reward, Egina, and Talga Talga projects ranging in size from 800 kg to approximately five tonnes will be crushed and screened ahead of Sorter testwork, that the Phase 2 testwork in late 2021 and Phase 3 testwork in early 2022 will achieve its objectives, including construction and commission the Sorter and infrastructure, tuning the Sorter to the various geological regimes and size fractions and training Novo operators in its use, processing samples from multiple Novo projects around the Pilbara to field test mass pull to concentrate, establishing assay protocols for Sorter concentrate 'accepts' and waste 'rejects', with Nullagine Gold Project gold room Acacia reactor and electrowinning apparatus being commissioned to accept larger masses of material from accepts and reject samples, that the Phase 3 testwork program will move to the Company's Comet Well project in 2022 to test bulk samples (up to 20,000 tonnes of potentially mineralised material from the Comet Well and Purdy's Reward projects), that processing and assaying of all outstanding coarse, mid and fines samples from Comet Well, Purdy's Reward, Egina and Talga Talga will be completed and operating protocols for processing larger mass will be established prior to May 2022, and that the Sorter and associated infrastructure will be relocated to the Comet Well project for Phase 3 bulk testwork from May 2022 onwards pending receipt of approvals from DWER. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, customary risks of the resource industry and the risk factors identified in Novo's management's discussion and analysis for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2021, which is available under Novo's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date those statements are made. Except as required by applicable law, Novo assumes no obligation to update or to publicly announce the results of any change to any forward-looking statement contained or incorporated by reference herein to reflect actual results, future events or developments, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting the forward-looking statements. If Novo updates any forward-looking statement(s), no inference should be drawn that the Company will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
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1 Refer to the Company's news release dated November 10, 2021.
2 Refer to the Company's news release dated May 18, 2021.