Alcyone Resources Limited (AYN) is pleased to advise that it is on track to ramp-up silver production at its 100%-owned Texas Silver & Polymetallic Project in south-east Queensland to a targeted annualised rate of 1.5 – 2.0 million ounces per annum following excellent progress in the first four weeks of wet commissioning of the upgraded Twin Hills processing facility.
Wet commissioning of the upgraded crushing circuit and heap leach processing facility commenced on the 12th of August and the plant, at current throughput of 140tph, is already operating at close to its nameplate capacity of 150 tonnes per hour (tph), which equates to an annualised throughput rate of 1 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa). The crushing facility is performing well with 100 per cent of material passing 4mm – one of the key parameters to achieving design leach rates.
The commercial-scale Merrill Crowe circuit, which is used to extract the silver from solution, replaced the pilot scale plant on the 24th of August. The circuit is currently running at nameplate capacity of 200 cubic metres per hour, resulting in a significant boost to bullion production. The automation package, which is expected to be activated within the next 10 days, is expected to further enhance overall process productivity. The overall silver recovery circuit is currently achieving recoveries from solution of more than 96 per cent, compared with the targeted level, based on previous testwork, of 95 per cent.
As previously advised, installation of the new bullion circuit was completed in July, with the circuit commissioned and producing silver bullion on site. The bullion circuit has a production capacity of 2 million ounces per annum.
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