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(Sharecast News) - Fulcrum Metals said on Wednesday that its wholly-owned subsidiary Fulcrum EnviroTech had signed a contract with Test Design Implement Solutions to deploy and operate a standalone pilot plant in Ontario, Canada, as it advances its Teck-Hughes mine waste recovery project towards commercialisation.
The AIM-traded company said the pilot plant would use cyanide-free leach technology developed by Extrakt Process Solutions to process material from Teck-Hughes, while also providing capacity to evaluate additional third-party mine waste materials.
The programme is supported by Bechtel Energy Technologies & Solutions, which has a long-term alliance agreement with Extrakt.
Fulcrum said the pilot plant would have processing capacity of 2.4 tonnes per day and was designed to generate operational, metallurgical and engineering data needed to support future commercial development.
The company said the arrangement provided a capital-light route to pilot-scale operations, with TDI supplying, installing, commissioning and operating the facility while retaining ownership of the equipment.
Extrakt will provide non-commercial licensing of its cyanide-free technologies, supported by Bechtel, while Fulcrum will be responsible mainly for site provision, programme execution and operations.
Fulcrum said the contract also included ongoing equipment lease provisions, giving it the ability to continue using the platform after the initial programme to support testing and evaluation of future opportunities.
The pilot programme is expected to comprise about 12 batches over four weeks using material from Teck-Hughes.
Fulcrum said the work would help validate process performance, optimise operating parameters and bridge the gap between laboratory testing and commercial implementation.
The company said its relationship with Extrakt extended beyond Teck-Hughes and Sylvanite, with Fulcrum holding exclusive rights to deploy Extrakt's cyanide-free technology across legacy gold mine waste sites in the Timmins and Kirkland Lake mining districts of Ontario.
Fulcrum said those two gold camps had produced more than 110 million ounces of gold over the past century and contained more than 70 documented legacy mine waste sites, creating a pipeline of potential reclamation and metal recovery opportunities.
Chief executive officer Ryan Mee said the agreement was a "significant milestone" for Fulcrum, creating a pathway to commercialise Teck-Hughes while establishing a platform to support future mine waste recovery opportunities.
"The pilot processing programme is designed to generate the data required to support commercial deployment and establish the blueprint for broader deployment," he said.
William Florman, president of Extrakt and TDI, said laboratory testing to date had been promising and that the pilot platform had been designed to help guide the final commercial design.
"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 program together," he said.
At 1200 BST, shares in Fulcrum Metals were up 2.7% at 9.5p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
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