Aim-listed critical minerals recovery company Fulcrum Metals' subsidiary Fulcrum EnviroTech Corporation has signed a contract with Kentucky-based laboratory and engineering services company Test Design Implement Solutions (TDI) for the deployment and operation of a standalone pilot plant in Ontario.

The pilot plant, with a planned processing capacity of 2.4 t/d, will use the cyanide-free leach technology developed by Extrakt Process Solutions to process material from Fulcrum’s Teck-Hughes project, in Kirkland Lake gold camp in Ontario, while also providing the capability to evaluate additional third-party mine waste materials.

The pilot plant is intended to generate the operational, metallurgical and engineering data required to support future commercial development at the Teck-Hughes project. Initial operating campaigns are expected to comprise about 12 pilot batches over a four-week period using material from the Teck-Hughes project.

Fulcrum previously appointed TDI to undertake a pilot plant scoping study, with the support of Extrakt and Extrakt's long-term partner Bechtel Energy Technology and Solutions.

"This is a significant milestone for Fulcrum which creates a pathway to commercialising Teck-Hughes while establishing a platform that is able to support future mine waste recovery opportunities," says Fulcrum CEO Ryan Mee, adding that the pilot plant will demonstrate how value can be unlocked from historic mine waste through a scalable and capital-efficient business model.

TDI and Extrakt president William Florman comments that the pilot platform has been scoped and designed to help bridge the gap between laboratory testing and commercial deployment by generating specific data on leach performance and on other key aspects of the flowsheet. "We believe the combination of Fulcrum's mine waste assets and our cyanide-free technology has the potential to support a scalable recovery platform and we look forward to advancing the programme together."

The pilot plant will initially process material from the Teck-Hughes project but will have the capability to evaluate additional mine waste opportunities across Fulcrum's portfolio.

Since the pilot plant will be deployed under a contract between Fulcrum EnviroTech and TDI, TDI will supply, install, commission and operate the pilot facility while retaining ownership of the equipment. Ektrakt will provide non-commercial licensing of its cyanide-free technologies, supported by Bechtel. Fulcrum's responsibilities will relate to site provision, programme execution and operations.

The parties have identified potential site locations for the pilot plant that are currently being evaluated.

The TDI contract provides Fulcrum with access to specialist technology and operating expertise without having to incur significant capital equipment costs - it also marks Fulcrum's transition from mine waste recovery laboratory validator to pilot-scale implementer.

Importantly, Fulcrum holds exclusive rights to deploy Extrakt's proven cyanide-free technology across legacy gold mine waste sites within the Timmins and Kirkland Lake mining districts of Ontario.

These two world-class gold camps have collectively produced more than 110-million ounces of gold over the past century and are estimated to contain more than 70 documented legacy mine waste sites, providing a significant pipeline of potential future reclamation and metal recovery opportunities.