Nord Precious Metals’ test work produces commercial high-grade silver concentrate from Beaver Mine tailings, Ontario
Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. [TSXV: NTH; OTCQB: CCWOF; FSE: 4T9B] has completed additional testing demonstrating commercial high-grade concentration to 2,114.9 g/t using Falcon concentration technology, representing a 1,173% concentration factor of Beaver Mine stamp mill tailings, Ontario.
“These results validate both our technical approach and our district strategy,” stated Frank J. Basa, P.Eng., President & CEO. “Material already mined sits at surface. The metallurgy is proven. The regulatory pathway is clear. The Ministry’s guidance on toll processing confirms what we’ve designed: a hub-and-spoke model that works at the regulatory level.”
Two distinct concentration methods were tested on Beaver tailings samples. Material with head assays of 180.3 g/t and 205.8 g/t silver concentrated to 1,268.6 g/t using spiral technology (representing 616-703% concentration) and 2,114.9 g/t using falcon concentration (1,028-1,173% concentration). Further processing using conventional gravity tables is expected to increase concentration ratios beyond these preliminary results.
The test work builds on a 354-meter of sonic drill program in 2020 that evaluated tailings across 127 drill holes, with grades ranging from 13.7 g/t to 314 g/t silver and an average grade of 79.0 g/t Ag, along with 165.8 ppm cobalt, 341.9 ppm copper, and 114.1 ppm nickel. The coarse grain size of these stamp mill tailings, which may contain fine native silver, makes them amenable to gravity concentration; this is a simpler, lower-cost processing method than flotation or leaching.
At 2,114.9 g/t silver in concentrate, the results place Beaver tailings within specifications acceptable to silver refineries. The difference in concentration factors between spiral (703%) and falcon (1,173%) technology suggests significant fine native silver in the tailings: particles small enough that historical stamp mills couldn’t capture but are recoverable through modern gravity circuits.
The company has received formal guidance from Ontario’s Ministry of Energy and Mines confirming that toll processing arrangements (whereby Nord would process tailings from adjacent properties) can be included in its forthcoming Recovery Permit application. The Ministry’s written response received August 29, confirms this positioning for the company’s Temiskaming Testing Labs facility as a potential processing hub for the Cobalt-Gowganda Camp’s legacy tailings, a district where 108 underground mines historically produced 600 million ounces of silver.
Nord has engaged Story Environmental, based in Haileybury, Ontario, to advise on permitting steps toward processing under Ontario’s Recovery Permit framework as part of the Company’s ongoing voluntary environmental remediation at the Beaver Mine site. The Company has maintained agreements with three First Nations groups for years, ensuring social license and community support. The testing program incorporated closed-loop water recycling protocols, anticipating permit conditions in a jurisdiction where water management drives regulatory scrutiny.
Commissioning of the company’s already-acquired automated 600 tonne-per-day modular gravity plant is scheduled upon permit receipt. Initial processing is targeted to begin in 2026.
Nord Precious Metals Mining operates the only permitted high-grade milling facility in the historic Cobalt Camp of Ontario, where the company has established a unique position integrating high-grade silver discovery with strategic metals recovery operations.
The company’s flagship Castle property encompasses 63 km2 of exploration ground and the past-producing Castle Mine, complemented by the Castle East discovery where drilling has delineated 7.56 million ounces of silver in Inferred resources averaging 8,582 g/t Ag (250.2 oz/ton) in 27,400 tonnes of material from two sections (1A and 1B) of the Castle East Robinson Zone, beginning at a vertical depth of approximately 400 metres.
Nord’s integrated processing strategy leverages the synergistic value of multiple metals. High-grade silver recovery supports the economics of extracting critical minerals including cobalt, nickel, and other battery metals, while the company’s proprietary Re-2Ox hydrometallurgical process enables production of technical-grade cobalt sulphate and nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) formulations.
This multi-metal approach, combined with established infrastructure including TTL Laboratories and underground mine access, positions Nord to capitalize on both precious metals markets and the growing demand for battery materials.
The company maintains a portfolio of battery metals properties in Northern Quebec through its 35% ownership in Coniagas Battery Metals Inc. [TSXV: COS] as well as the St. Denis-Sangster lithium project comprising 260 km2 of prospective ground near Cochrane, Ontario.