27th Aug 2009 12:35
27 August 2009
Alexander Mining plc
("Alexander" or the "Company")
Operations Update
Alexander continues to make excellent progress on the commercialisation of its mineral processing technologies, highlights include:
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Several multinational companies are assessing the Company's leaching technology. All commercial discussions relating to these companies are subject to confidentiality agreements. |
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Included in the above are Companies which have significant interests in the African copper belt (Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Southern Africa. This is becoming a focus as a result of advances made in using AmmLeach® to process copper/cobalt ores. |
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A notable amount of activity with other mid and small size mining companies continues, including involvement in distressed mining situations where Alexander's leaching technology could make a significant difference to the economic prospects of these situations. |
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Filing of AmmLeach® supplementary patents as research and development work progresses. |
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Based upon recent testwork, the potential applicability of AmmLeach® has expanded to include some nickel laterites, with the potential for significant cost savings compared to conventional nickel processing methods. |
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The Company is in negotiation about the possible cash sale of its Leon property in Argentina, which may or may not lead to a transaction. |
Martin Rosser, CEO of Alexander said: "The global licensing of our technology to generate a long term royalty stream continues to be a business priority and we are making highly satisfactory progress."
The Company expects to announce its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2009 by late September 2009.
For further information please contact:
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Martin Rosser |
Matt Sutcliffe |
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Chief Executive Officer |
Executive Chairman |
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Mobile: + 44 (0) 7770 865 341 |
Mobile: +44 (0) 7887 930 758 |
Alexander Mining plc
1st Floor
35 Piccadilly
London
W1J 0DW
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7292 1300
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7292 1313
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.alexandermining.com
Nominated Advisor and Broker
Alasdair Younie/John Prior
Arbuthnot Securities Limited
Arbuthnot House
20 Ropemaker Street
London
EC2Y 9AR
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7012 2000
Public/Media Relations
Tim Blackstone
Britton Financial PR
62 Britton Street
London
EC1M 5UY
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7242 9786
Mobile: +44 (0) 7957 140 416
Email: [email protected]
Background notes for editors
Alexander, through its wholly owned subsidiary MetaLeach Limited, is solely focused on the commercialisation of its proprietary mineral processing technologies. Alexander has already received test-work payments and the pipeline of amenability test-work programmes is increasing steadily. A major campaign to grow this revenue stream is under way, with the aim of securing future royalties and/or free carried equity interests in attractive base metals projects and/or mines.
AmmLeach®, for which patents are pending, has the potential to revolutionise the extraction processes for high acid consuming copper and zinc oxide deposits. The operating cost differential between AmmLeach® and conventional heap leaching treatment methods for high sulphuric acid consuming ores and the AmmLeach® ammonia process is a significant order of magnitude in AmmLeach®'s favour.
The AmmLeach® process was developed as a result of Alexander's successful pilot plant demonstration at its Leon copper project in Argentina and subsequent research and development. As well as copper oxides, AmmLeach® has excellent potential for developing a new SX-EW process for producing high purity zinc metal or an intermediate product at the mine.
The zinc process has been trialled successfully on a bench scale and larger scale test-work is imminent. The AmmLeach® process leaches common zinc oxide minerals with high extraction efficiencies and offers a potentially economic processing route for many zinc oxide deposits that are currently economically unviable.
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