NEWS RELEASE - September 17, 2009
DUMONT NICKEL INC. (DNI : TSX-Ven, DG7 : Frankfurt)
DUMONT COMMENCES BIOLEACHING TESTWORK ON ITS ALBERTA POLYMETALLIC BLACK SHALES
DUMONT NICKEL INC. (DNI:TSX-Ven, DG7:FSE) is pleased to announce that it has engaged the Bureau de Recherches G�ologiques et Mini�res (BRGM) to conduct testwork to determine the amenability of its polymetallic black shales to bioleaching for the collective recovery of metals. The Alberta black shales' amenability to bioleaching has never previously been tested, and the current study is intended as an initial step toward broader testwork to follow.
BRGM is France's leading Earth Sciences public institution responsible for the sustainable management of natural resources. It is recognized worldwide for its expertise in biohydrometallurgy and the development of innovative processes applied to industrial scale bioleaching of metals from sulphides.
BRGM brings considerable bioleaching expertise to Dumont's polymetallic black shale projects from its active participation, as coordinator, in the consortium led EU Bioshale and Biomine R&D projects aimed at formulating innovative biotechnology for clean and viable beneficiation of European black shale ores. The two projects were successful in demonstrating commercial viability of whole rock bioheapleaching of polymetallic black shales through pilot demonstration tests in 2005 enabling advance of the world's first bioheapleaching mine to production in 2008 which is currently producing a collection of metals from polymetallic black shale. These developments provide templates for what might be achieved in Alberta.
Polymetallic black shales are an emerging deposit type which has gained rapid prominence over the past decade due to milestone breakthrough advances in biohydrometallurgy which enable collective extraction of metals previously unrecoverable by traditional methods. They are a host to immense deposits typically in the billions of tons and offer a long term future source to metals from operations whose economics are driven by sheer size and high mining throughput.
In addition to the above, DUMONT is also separately exploring alternatives to bioleaching by other analytical work which has been in progress since July, relying on historic samples from the Property and on samples collected by DUMONT in August. Verification analyses, to enable harmonizing of current research with historic databases, are almost completed. Work in progress also includes mineralogical studies intended to establish baseline information which is critical to all metals recovery testwork to follow, and bulk cyanidation tests of certain samples from sub-formational units believed to be the host to gold previously reported from the shales.
DUMONT continues to focus its efforts on its polymetallic black shale Properties in Alberta, and on its carried interest in the recent diamond discovery from its Attawapiskat Property, Ontario.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
DNI - TSX Venture
DG7 - Frankfurt
Issued: 165,688,010
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