Laserfiche WebLink
• <br />• <br />• <br />5. <br />6. <br />7 <br />d. We add several pounds of lime and/or soda ash to each ton of material to bring the pH to 7.5-9. It <br />is practically chemically impossible to have heavy metals in solution when the pH is basic. <br />Adding the lime and/or soda ash precipitates the heavy metal contaminants. <br />e. An electronic pH monitor and controller is used to maintain a consistent rate. <br />The finely ground (+/- 60-100 mesh) slurry is then delivered to a concentrating ("shaker") table. Here is <br />where the specific gravity separation of the heavy metals and any trace precious metals takes place. There <br />are four zones on the table where a product is delivered: <br />a. Slimes zone - discharge is collected and sent to the flotation circuits for further treatment. <br />b. Sand zone - discharge is mostly devoid of any mineralization, cleaned sands sent to tailings. <br />c. Middlings zone - discharge is a recycle loop back to the ball mill for further grinding. <br />d. Table Concentrates zone - discharge is collected. The table concentrates contain about 70% of <br />the heavy metal contaminants and any economically viable metals. Concentration ratios as high <br />as 100:1 may be achieved. This product is viable and sold to a third party (smelter, refiner, etc.). <br />The slimes off of the table are then feed into the flotation circuit of the mill. Here a three-stage flotation <br />process collects the very finest and trace particles the gravity circuit missed. Minute amounts of chemical <br />promoters and collectors are added (ie xanthate, Aerofloat 208 and 242, pine oil - see the list that follows <br />at the end of this Exhibit C for MSDS information). This creates a chemistry that allows the targeted <br />metals to attach to air bubbles that create a froth in the conditioning cells. A pulp density of 30% is <br />typical. This froth is skimmed off and collected. The flotation concentrates are also a salable product. <br />The final tailings have been carefully lab analyzed (SPLP Method 1312 metals and total dissolved metals) <br />and are essentially inert sand and clays. To ensure quality control the pH monitor watches the pH of the <br />final tails and alerts the operator to anything out of spec. Additionally, periodic sample testing will be <br />performed. <br />The slurried tailings are piped to the lined tailings solid waste impoundment via a 2" HDPE double walled <br />line. A total build-out will consist of five benches stair-stepped up the gulch. The bench faces are <br />nominally 40' high and 60' deep. The process water is de-canted from the tailings and pumped back to the <br />mill into the lined Water Holding Pond via an 1.25" HDPE double walled line, recycled for further use. <br />See 6.3.3(2)(b) for a more detailed description of impoundment build-up construction. <br />A description of the equipment used can be found earlier mentioned in 6.3.3(1)(e) and locatable in Exhibit E. <br />Due to the proprietary nature of the processing engineering we have done, it is our position not to specify anything <br />additional in the public record. We feel that the information provided is adequate for the DRMS to evaluate the <br />proposed operation. Items such as specific conveyor speeds, crusher feed rates, processing/conditioning times, ball <br />mill speed, etc. are variables internal to the process and only effect our production efficiency - not the resultant <br />waste stream composition. All chemicals to be used and quantities, however, have been reported. More chemical <br />information can be found in 6.3.3(2)(a). <br />6.3.3(1)(n) <br />The mineral processing part of the operations will be extracting the following from mine waste rock and/or ore: <br />Primary Commodities <br />Gold and Silver <br />Secondary Commodities <br />Copper, Lead, and Zinc <br />Incidental. Elements <br />Iron (from collected pyrite/sulfide minerals), trace amounts of other various heavy metals <br />This material is extracted for economic gain and to generate a mostly inert tailings for environmentally friendly <br />impoundment. The abandoned mine waste rock is polluting our properties and we have a desire to clean it up. <br />Being able to offset processing cost with profits gained from the sale of the concentrates makes this cleanup project <br />economically viable as a private business venture. <br />Page 10 of 35