Toronto-listed RZOLV Technologies says it expects to commission a North Vancouver pilot plant to demonstrate its non-cyanide gold recovery technology in the first quarter of 2027.
The circa-C$13 million company said it expected construction of the facility to start this month.
It signed a bulk-testing agreement last year with Alaska placer gold explorer Aurquest Alaska to process sample concentrates from Aurquest’s Nome strandline, or beach, and near-shore alluvial prospects in western Alaska, USA. RZOLV said Aurquest had delivered about two tonnes of concentrates for the initial pilot program.
“Gold, silver and critical-mineral concentrates remain an important commercial focus for RZOLV,” the company said.
“For suitable materials the company’s goal is to establish and validate its technology to enable cost-effective recovery closer to the source and reduce reliance on shipping concentrates to external smelters and treatment facilities.”
Aurquest is funding equipment and hardware costs under the agreement with RZOLV, with the venture also likely to receive C$121,000 of Canadian government funding.
RZOLV said the pilot facility would integrate its leaching technology with “downstream metal recovery and process-solution management”. EMEW electrowinning cells would be used to recover dissolved metals with the aim of producing a saleable, refinery-ready product. Pilot campaigns would evaluate metal extraction, processing rates, reagent requirements, overall recovery and the recycling and reuse of process solutions.
“This facility moves us from testing individual materials to demonstrating an integrated recovery process at pilot scale, including metal recovery and the recycling and reuse of process solutions,” said RZOLV CEO Duane Nelson.
“Partner funding and non-dilutive government support allow us to advance our capital-light strategy while generating the operating data needed to evaluate commercial applications and guide the design of a proposed larger facility in Nome, Alaska.”
