RZOLV Technologies and Aurquest Alaska to Begin Construction of Metal Recovery Facility
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RZOLV Technologies said construction of its metal recovery facility in North Vancouver, British Columbia, is scheduled to begin this month with expected commissioning by Q1, 2027.
In partnership with Aurquest Alaska, the facility will support scale-up validation of RZOLV’s proprietary technology for recovering precious and critical metals from mineral ores, concentrates, and selected secondary materials.
Aurquest is funding equipment and hardware costs under the parties’ bulk-testing agreement. The project has also been approved for up to $86,500 (C$121,000) in non-dilutive support through The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program.
“This facility moves us from testing individual materials to demonstrating an integrated recovery process at pilot scale, including metal recovery and the recycling and reuse of process solutions,” said Duane Nelson, president and CEO of RZOLV.
“Partner funding and non-dilutive government support allow us to advance our capital-light strategy while generating the operating data needed to evaluate commercial applications and guide the design of a proposed larger facility in Nome, Alaska,” added Nelson.
DEMONSTRATING AN INTEGRATED RECOVERY SYSTEM
The North Vancouver facility will integrate RZOLV’s leaching technology with downstream metal recovery and process-solution management. Pilot campaigns will evaluate metal extraction, processing rates, reagent requirements, overall recovery, and the recycling and reuse of process solutions.
The plant will incorporate EMEW electrowinning cells to recover dissolved metals, with the objective of producing a saleable, refinery-ready product. Together, these operations will demonstrate an integrated processing route from concentrate feed to recovered metal, while evaluating opportunities to reduce reagent consumption through solution reuse.
AURQUEST PARTNERSHIP AND PROPOSED NOME TOLL-PROCESSING PLANT
The facility builds on the bulk-testing agreement entered into between RZOLV and Aurquest to evaluate RZOLV’s non-cyanide technology on gravity concentrates and table tails from Aurquest’s Alaskan placer operations.
Aurquest agreed to fund reasonable equipment and hardware costs, with equipment selection and process design jointly agreed by the parties. The company has agreed to provide technical expertise, research and development, labor and chemicals.
Subject to positive testing results, the agreement contemplates negotiating a definitive agreement outlining a potential joint venture with Aurquest for an Alaska-based toll-processing business. The proposed development pathway includes building and shipping an expanded plant to Nome, Alaska, to recover gold from locally sourced black sand concentrates and gravity-processing residues, potentially serving both Aurquest and other regional producers. RZOLV retains ownership of all intellectual property pertaining to the project.
GOLD CONCENTRATE FEED SECURED
Aurquest has already delivered ~2,150 kilograms of high-grade gold concentrates for the initial pilot program.
Gold, silver and critical-mineral concentrates remain an important commercial focus for RZOLV. For suitable materials, the company’s goal is to establish and validate its technology to enable cost-effective recovery closer to the source and reduce reliance on shipping concentrates to external smelters and treatment facilities.
RZOLV Technologies is an innovative Canadian clean technology company commercializing low-cost, non-cyanide metal recovery solutions. The company’s proprietary RZOLV™ platform is a water-based hydrometallurgical technology developed to recover precious, base and critical metals, including rare-earth elements, from ores, concentrates, tailings and secondary materials. Through strategic industry partnerships, RZOLV is advancing testing, process integration and potential commercialization across mining and recycling applications. The company focuses on unlocking value from complex resources that challenge conventional recovery methods.
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