$ITRO Itronics Test Work On Fulstone Tailings Show
Post# of 98041
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/itro...65388.html
RENO, Nevada, Aug. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Itronics (OTC: ITRO) today reported that it has completed recovery tests on two samples taken from the iron mine tailings pile located on Auric Fulstone claims in Nevada adjacent to the formerly operating Minnesota Mine. Assay results show that these tailings have a metal and mineral content that has a significant gross value, perhaps $350 per ton.
The Rock Kleen tests have shown that a significant portion of the metal content and industrial mineral content can be recovered, perhaps $100 per ton when all the material is sold. Additional recovery work needs to be completed on metals, clays, and other minerals. The Company believes that these components, when recovery is optimized, will provide significant additional value per ton. The indicated values are high enough to justify moving forward with the Rock Kleen pilot plant development using Fulstone tailings as the feed material. This pilot plant is being planned for installation at the Itronics Cleantech Materials Campus (ICMC), in Wabuska, Nevada.
"The test work completed on the Fulstone tailings demonstrates how Rock Kleen can create value from formerly worthless tailings by recovering a variety of metals and minerals," said Dr. John Whitney, Itronics President. "We have tested tailings from gold and silver mines, and now an iron mine. In each case Rock Kleen successfully recovers metals and minerals, plus cleans the remaining tailings for industrial mineral sales."
Itronics Inc. has an effective 70 percent ownership interest in Auric Gold and Minerals, Inc. through its wholly owned subsidiary Whitney & Whitney, Inc. Small scale pilot testing was done on the Fulstone tailings, at the Itronics Metallurgical, Inc. laboratory in Reno, Nevada. All assaying of both the head materials and the pilot test tailings was conducted by a certified third-party laboratory. While definitive recovery numbers and final products are yet to be determined by detailed optimization studies, preliminary indications from the two representative samples are that the recovered value will be high enough to profitably support an operation that produces metals, nutrient minerals, industrial minerals, and clay products.
The main recovered metal/mineral values from the testing were iron, calcium, magnesium, copper, and cobalt. Industrial minerals useable for construction are another major value. Itronics plans to continue with additional field work and additional test work aimed at optimizing the metal and mineral recoveries and obtaining the additional information and data required to do a definitive pilot plant design. The additional field work includes the measuring, drilling, and assaying required to confirm a mineral inventory. Material gathered in this work will provide samples for further optimization.
Successful pilot plant operations will immediately lead to development of a Rock Kleen demonstration plant, which is required for full commercialization. Itronics envisions the Rock Kleen plant, processing Fulstone tailings, to be an integral component of the Itronics Cleantech Materials Campus (ICMC) in Wabuska, Nevada. The Fulstone controlled tailings are located approximately 15 miles from the ICMC, a convenient haul distance.