Alaska Energy Metals (TSX-V:AEMC) has recovered 49.4% of nickel through locked-cycle flotation testing on drill core from the Eureka deposit at its Nikolai Project in Alaska, US.
Testing on material from Core Eureka Zone 2 also recovered 50.5% of copper (Cu) and 21% of cobalt (Co) into a bulk flotation concentrate.
Precious metal recoveries reached 49.1% for platinum (Pt), 43.1% for palladium (Pd), and 43.9% for gold (Au).
The resulting concentrate graded 7.22% nickel (Ni), 4.01% Cu, 0.30% Co, 2.33 grams per tonne Pt, 4.10g/t Pd, and 0.78g/t Au. Around 506g of concentrate was recovered, representing 1.68% of the material processed.
Feed material for the test graded 0.26% Ni, 0.13% Cu, 0.03% Co, 0.16g/t Pd, 0.08g/t Pt, and 0.03g/t Au. The composite was prepared from drill core modelled to represent the average grade of the Eureka deposit’s 2025 mineral resource estimate.
CEO Gregory Beischer says the recovery rates provide an important input for the company’s internal economic assessment.
“We now know the metals present in the Nikolai deposit are recoverable at robust rates,” Beischer says.
Alaska Energy says optimisation testing also found that desliming was unnecessary, potentially removing a processing stage from the proposed flowsheet.
Further locked-cycle tests are underway following open-cycle work that indicated scope to improve recoveries and concentrate grades. Results are expected in early August.
Concentrate samples will also be sent to Lifezone Metals (NYSE:LZM) to assess their suitability for hydrometallurgical refining. Alaska Energy says successful on-site refining could increase metal payability and avoid shipping concentrate to an external smelter, although it would require additional capital.
The company plans to complete an internal economic analysis before deciding whether to commission a preliminary economic assessment.
Alaska Energy Metals is focused on developing the polymetallic Nikolai Project, which hosts nickel, copper, cobalt, chromium, iron, platinum, palladium, and gold mineralisation.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Images: Alaska Energy Metals
