Copper recovery of 95% at Turgeon
Rimouski, April 21, 2010 - Puma Exploration (PUM-TSXV) has received the results of
metallurgical tests carried out on the Turgeon copper-zinc deposit in New Brunswick. A series of
tests were conducted on the two types of mineralization found in the Turgeon deposit: copper-rich
stockwork zones, and massive sulphide zones carrying copper and zinc mineralization.
The flotation tests produced a copper recovery of 95% and a concentrate with more than 20% Cu
from the stockwork zone. The other tests achieved copper recoveries in excess of 80%. In addition,
it appears that the mineralization in this zone requires relatively little grinding to obtain a good
recovery. Indeed, the optimal grain size is less than 65% minus 200 mesh, and overgrinding may
impair the quality of the concentrate and the recovery, as in Test XP-2.
Results of tests carried out on the copper-rich stockwork zone
Test Sample grade
Cu (%)
Copper content
of concentrate (%)
Recovery (%)
XP-1 3.88 27.2 84.0
XP-2 3.83 17.9 65.4
XP-3 3.90 27.8 91.7
XP-4 3.84 24.8 80.8
XP-5 3.90 23.1 94.7
For the massive copper-zinc sulphide zones the optimal grind for an initial flotation of copper is
similar to that for the stockwork zones: about 65% minus 200 mesh. Taking into account the grades
of the feed and the grades of the tails, the highest possible recovery for the copper is 90%, and 94%
for zinc in the massive sulphide zone. On the other hand, it appears difficult to suppress the zinc
during copper flotation, and additional tests will be necessary to obtain a copper concentrate with a
minimum content of zinc.
It should be noted that this is a preliminary series of unoptimized tests, and that both the
concentrate grade and the recovery are likely to be improved during subsequent testing.
