VANCOUVER, March 15, 2017 /CNW/ – Kootenay Silver Inc. (TSXV: KTN) (the "Company" or "Kootenay") is pleased to report additional leach testing of oxide and sulfide silver mineralization (the "Phase II Program") has begun on bulk samples from the Company's La Cigarra silver deposit in Chihuahua State, Mexico, applying the proprietary SILVOX Technologies Inc. ("SILVOX") process.
The purpose of the Phase II Program is to determine if silver mineralization at La Cigarra is amenable to low cost heap leach processing using the SILVOX process, which could have a positive impact on potential capital requirements and operating costs. Previous metallurgical work was focused on silver recovery through production of a concentrate via conventional floatation. This work was very positive achieving recoveries up to 88% silver producing a high grade lead-silver concentrate that graded 34% lead and 23,000 gpt silver for every tonne of concentrate (see Northair Silver News Release dated June 29, 2015).
The Phase II Program was initiated based on positive results from preliminary metallurgical testing of the oxide mineralization hosted within the La Cigarra deposit that showed a significant improvement in silver recoveries when using standard leaching with the SILVOX process, versus industry standard leaching without the SILVOX process (See Kootenay News Release dated January 2, 2017).
Phase II testing will involve bottle roll testing ("BR testing") on different crush sizes of ¼ and ¾ inch for oxide material and initial evaluation on ¼ inch for sulfide material, which was not previously tested. Metallurgical testing will involve applying industry standard ("standard") leach testing in addition to utilizing the SILVOX process to establish differences in recoveries and optimization.
The metallurgical test work is part of a larger comprehensive approach to the La Cigarra property aimed at maximizing the project's near and long-term economic viability through resource expansion and optimization of the existing silver deposit.
Sampling and QA/QC
All technical information for the La Cigarra exploration program is obtained and reported under a formal quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") program. Samples are taken under the direction of qualified geologists and stored in sealed bags. Samples are delivered by the Company via courier to ALS Minerals ("ALS") in Chihuahua. The samples are dried, crushed and pulverized with the pulps being sent airfreight for analysis by ALS in Vancouver B.C. Systematic assaying of standards is performed for precision and accuracy. Analysis for silver, zinc, lead and copper and related trace elements was done by ICP four acid digestion, with gold analysis by 30 gram fire assay with an AA finish.
Qualified Persons
The Kootenay technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects) and reviewed on behalf Kootenay by James McDonald, P.Geo, President, CEO & Director for Kootenay, a Qualified Person.
About SILVOX
Silvox Technologies Inc. is a Canadian private company providing a proprietary process ("SILVOX") to the mining industry that enhances silver recoveries by simply augmenting standard heap leach technology and conventional milling methods. The SILVOX process requires minimal capital investment and has been confirmed with certified lab testing and associated fieldwork on several deposits over the past two years. Test results show additional silver recoveries of up to 30% with potential attractive profit margins for increased recovery over processing costs. Successful introduction of SILVOX could make an economic project more robust or mean the difference between a sub-economic project and one that is economically viable.
About Kootenay Silver Inc.
Kootenay Silver Inc. is an exploration company actively engaged in the discovery and development of mineral projects in the Sierra Madre Region of Mexico and in British Columbia, Canada. Supported by one of the largest portfolios of silver assets in Mexico, Kootenay continues to provide its shareholders with significant leverage to silver prices. The Company remains focused on the expansion of its current silver resources, new discoveries and the near-term economic development of two of its priority silver projects located in prolific mining districts in Sonora, State and Chihuahua, State, Mexico, respectively.
