VANCOUVER, BC , Jan. 26,
2023 /CNW/ - BQE Water Inc. (TSXV: BQE), a
leader in the treatment and management of mine impacted waters, has
been awarded a contract for the design, construction and operation
of a SART plant to improve gold leaching efficiency and overall
cyanide management at a gold metallurgical facility in Shandong Province, China owned by Shandong Gold Mining, a
state-owned corporation that is the largest gold producer in
China.
With a contract structure similar to two previous SART plants in
the province signed in 2019 and that are now in operation with
support services from BQE Water, this contract has two project
phases. The first involves engineering design, procurement,
construction, plant commissioning and start-up. The second is for
onsite operations support services for an initial period of five
years in exchange for a quarterly service fee based on plant
performance.
"The Shandong Gold contract solidifies our leadership
position with the SART process technology not only in China but globally," said David Kratochvil, President & CEO of BQE
Water. "Cyanide management needs are on the rise from the
mining of more deposits containing mineralization that interferes
with gold leaching and the increased industry focus for projects to
be environmentally responsible and socially acceptable. Through the
capabilities of our team, we are committed to supporting the gold
mining and smelting sector in meeting their project
requirements."
Songlin Ye, Vice President for
Asia at BQE Water adds, "The fact
that Shandong Gold sole-sourced the project from BQE Water speaks
volumes about our SART expertise. And with the backing of three
SART plants for the three largest gold producers in the region, we
look forward to further growing our cyanide management market in
China and Asia in general."
Importance of Cyanide Management for the Gold Mining
Industry
Regulations around the world are advancing
and target not only residual cyanide contained in wastewater and
tailings produced by mining and metallurgical operations but also
place strict limits for cyanidation and cyanide
destruction by-products such as ammonia,
cyanate, thiocyanate and nitrite. A key aspect
of cyanide management is cyanide recovery and recycle. The more
cyanide that can be reused, the less fresh new cyanide that needs
to be consumed and the less cyanide that must be destroyed by using
additional chemicals which produce by-products requiring additional
management. The goal is to ensure all discharges are non-toxic and
do not cause impacts to the receiving environment. As such, proper
cyanide management is key to the permitting of new projects and
securing a social license for gold producers.
Significance of Shandong
Province for China's Gold
Production
As the largest gold producing province in the
country over the last 40 years, annual gold output for Shandong Province has exceeded 100 tonnes
(3.5 M troy ounces) since 2011 and
accounts for approximately 30% of China's total gold production. The province is
home to the country's top gold producers who are expanding their
influence globally. In this region alone where BQE Water has
designed and implemented two SART plants, there are more than a
dozen metallurgical plants that are focused on gold extraction and
refining.
BQE Water's Expertise in Cyanide Management
BQE Water
is a global leader in the SART process which enables cyanide
consumed by base metals to be recovered and recycled, lowering the
cost of gold extraction and reducing the environmental footprint of
gold mining projects. BQE Water also provides solutions to manage
the by-products of cyanidation and cyanide destruction such as
ammonia, nitrite and thiocyanate removal.
About BQE Water
BQE Water is a service provider
specializing in water treatment and management for metals mining,
smelting and refining. We are helping to transform the way the
industry thinks about water in the context of natural resource
projects by offering services and expertise which enables more
sustainable water management practices and improved overall project
performance at reduced risks. BQE Water invests in innovation and
has developed unique intellectual property through the
commercialization of several new technologies at mine sites around
the world for organizations including Glencore, Jiangxi Copper,
Freeport-McMoRan and the US EPA. BQE Water is headquartered in
Vancouver, Canada and trades on
the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol BQE. Visit
www.bqewater.com for more information.
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accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this
release.
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SOURCE BQE Water Inc.