Challenger Gold Limited (ASX: CEL), a company focused on discovering and developing a world class gold project in Argentina, is progressing its Hualilan Gold Project with final metallurgical testwork underway. The company is currently working towards a full-scale Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) for the project. This follows promising results which have confirmed heap leaching as a viable method for unlocking the potential of the project’s low-grade mineralisation.
The final metallurgical testwork includes sequential flotation grind optimisation tests, which are nearing completion, as well as a PFS-level comminution testwork program commencing in July. Large diameter column leach testwork is also underway to facilitate the scale-up of column test results. Challenger Gold anticipates the completion of all metallurgical testwork and inputs required for the stand-alone Hualilan PFS by early Q4 2025.
Recent testwork has shown excellent recoveries with gold recoveries up to 85% and averaging 75% during column leach tests. These figures compare favourably to typical heap leach recoveries which average 60-65%. The testwork also demonstrated strong gold recoveries at low grades, including 67.2% gold recovery from material grading at 0.15 g/t gold. The results indicate that a heap leach pad could significantly expand the scale and economics of the Hualilan Project.
Kris Knauer, Managing Director of Challenger Gold, noted that these final stages of metallurgical testwork mark a significant milestone. He added that the outstanding heap leach results confirm the viability of processing low-grade material previously excluded from economic evaluation, which could materially enhance the project’s scale and development pathway.
