Orexplore Technologies (ASX:OXT) has developed a nuggety gold detection system that is being confirmed through commercial testing with several gold mining companies.
Gold mining companies are testing the technology to confirm its effectiveness, specifically focusing on comparing Orexplore’s ‘nuggety’ grade results with those from conventional laboratory methods.
Orexplore says initial testing has led to an increased interest for larger-scale commercial laboratory and site-based trials, confirming a growing interest in the broader application and benefits of the technology.
The technology detects gold on-site within 20 minutes, up-stream of traditional sampling and laboratory processes. It aims to improve the sampling and estimation of gold deposits and help optimise mine and plant designs to improve gold extraction.
Orexplore says the system identified gold nuggets larger than 100 micrometres throughout the entire core, providing data to support improved operational grade control and to support producing useful estimates of gold.
Managing Director Brett Giroud says gold mining faces challenging operating conditions, and that Orexplore faces an opportunity to help the sector with the deployment of new technologies, such as the GX10 system.
“As a full-core digitisation technology, we can characterise nuggety gold mineralisation within minutes at the core farm,” Giroud says.
“These data streams can potentially support rapid site-based operational grade control processes and improve the gold characterisation to help unlock the value tied in typically higher-risk nuggety gold deposits.”
Orexplore notes that the validation testing demonstrates the speed and accuracy of the technology’s site-based nuggety grade results in comparison to current sampling and laboratory processes.
“The market opportunity is large and the global trend towards unlocking Orebody Knowledge and project techno-economics ‘closer to the rig’ is intensifying as miners seek to optimise their operations and resource development,” Giroud adds.
“This nuggety gold characterisation capability at the core farm is another step towards rapid field-sensed Orebody knowledge and further establishes Orexplore as an important partner in achieving this transformation with customers.”
Orexplore Technologies is a globally-focused mineral technology company working to advance the commercialisation of its technology platform across the mining value chain within the global metals and mining sector.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Orexplore Technologies
