Cobalt Blue (ASX:COB) has entered into a testwork co-operation agreement with Hudbay Minerals (TSE:HBM) over the Flin Flon tailings storage facility in the Manitoba province of Canada.
Cobalt has agreed to utilise its proprietary minerals processing technology to assess the ability to recover gold, silver, copper, zinc, cobalt, and sulphur from a pyrite/pyrrhotite concentrate produced from the Flin Flon tailings.
The company says this program is expected to take 4 months to complete once the tailings sample is received from Hudbay. Cobalt will receive a fee for conducting the program, which is expected to cover its costs.
This Cobalt Blue proprietary technology offers the potential to convert the sulphides into elemental sulphur, which the company says is ‘stable and benign’.
“Reprocessing mining waste containing pyrite and recovering metals remains a focus for our business”
Commenting on the testwork agreement, Cobalt Blue Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Joe Kaderavek says: “Reprocessing mining waste containing pyrite and recovering metals remains a focus for our business.
Generally, the opportunities include cobalt-containing pyrite, along with other base and precious metal sulphides such as copper, zinc, and gold.”
Hudbay Minerals first identified the opportunity to reprocess Flin Flon tailings back in 2021. The company has recently completed a confirmatory drilling program covering two-thirds of the tailings facility.
Additionally, Cobalt Blue has ‘successfully’ developed a processing technology for recovering cobalt from pyrite at its Broken Hill Cobalt Project in New South Wales, Australia.
Cobalt Blue is an ASX-listed exploration and project development company focused on advancing and developing cobalt mining and refining operations in Australia.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Cobalt Blue Ltd
