VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire -
Sept. 23, 2010) - Zincore Metals Inc. (TSX:ZNC)(BVLAC:ZNC)
("Zincore" or the "Company") reports that it has
achieved zinc recoveries of up to 93% and lead recoveries of up to 98%
at a calcine grade of 61% zinc (approx.77% zinc oxide) and 11% lead
(approx.12% lead oxide) in preliminary, pilot plant testing of a Waelz
kiln to treat ores from its Yanque project at the Company's Accha Zinc
Oxide District in southern Peru.
Zincore President and CEO, Jorge Benavides, stated, "We are elated
with these results. They not only confirm our belief that a Waelz kiln
can process disparate ores from different deposits while delivering
high percentage recoveries and grades, but these results actually
exceed our original expectations. Although we have more work to do, the
findings are significant for the economics of our Accha Zinc Oxide
District, where we are pursuing a district strategy with a central
processing facility."
Highlights and Conclusions from the Pilot Plant Tests
-- During initial "parameter" testing, recoveries were achieved of up to 93% for zinc and 98% for lead at a calcine grade of greater than 61% zinc (approx.77% zinc oxide) and 11% lead (approx.12% lead oxide) -- In continuous testing, recoveries averaged78.3% for zinc and 91.2% for lead with a calcine grade of 51.53% zinc (64% zinc oxide) and 13.7% lead (14.75% lead oxide) -- Melting of the charge within the kiln during continuous testing, was found to be the cause for the loss in recovery -- With additional testing in the laboratory to study the response of the various species to elevated temperature, it is the belief of the Company's metallurgical consultants that this phenomenon can be controlled, and that the recoveries of both zinc and lead could be significantly improved
Four
samples at various feed grades (totaling 8.7 tonnes) were selected by
the geologists from the Yanque project at the Company's Accha Zinc
Oxide District in southern Peru.
Fourteen initial parameter tests were conducted to determine the
optimal parameters for variables such as plant feed rate, kiln
residence time, anthracite (coal) ratio, kiln temperature and zinc
content. Using the information gained, the above mentioned continuous
run was conducted over a period of 96 hours.
To view a summary report on the test results, please visit our website
at www.zincoremetals.com.
All test work was done at the Corianta Waelz kiln facility in
Pacasmayo, Peru, which is owned by Cementos Pacasmayo SAA. In turn,
approximately 64% of Cementos Pacasmayo is owned by Inversiones
Pacasamayo SAA, which also owns approximately 36.9% of the outstanding
shares of Zincore. Corianta has been using a Waelz rotary kiln at its
facility to process zinc and lead ore from its Bongara mine to produce
a commercial high grade zinc oxide concentrate.
The pilot plant was operated by staff from the Corianta plant under the
guidance of Michael Valenta Pr. Eng. (Intl) of Metallicon Process
Consulting (Pty) Ltd of Hartbeespoort, South Africa. Metallicon is an
independent consulting firm that provides specific, technical expertise
in the area of mineral processing. Mr. Valenta is a metallurgical
engineer and an internationally registered Professional Engineer under
the Washington Accord. He has significant experience in laboratory,
pilot testing and full-scale refinery metallurgical practice and
processes.
On site representation for Metallicon was provided by Hatch
International, a global engineering, procurement, construction, and management
company with more than 8,000 people in 65 offices on six continents
that supplies engineering, project and construction management
services, process and business consulting and operational services to
the mining, metallurgical, energy and infrastructure industries.
Vernon Arseneau, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration for Zincore has
prepared or supervised the preparation of the information contained in
this news release and is the Qualified Person as defined under National
Instrument 43-101 for this news release.
About Zincore
Zincore is a Vancouver-based mineral exploration company focused mainly
on zinc and related base metal opportunities in the Americas, namely
Peru, Mexico and Canada. The Company's common shares trade on both the
Toronto and Lima Stock Exchanges under the symbol ZNC. For more
information, please see our website at www.zincoremetals.com
Forward-looking Statements: Statements in this release that are
forward-looking are subject to various risks and uncertainties
concerning the specific factors disclosed under the heading "Risk
Factors" and elsewhere in the Annual Information Form of Zincore
dated March 12, 2010 which is filed with Canadian securities regulatory
authorities and available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Such information contained herein
represents management's best judgment as of the date hereof based on
information currently available.
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