Metallic Minerals Reports Successful Electrochemical Recovery of 99.9% Pure Copper Metal from La Plata Sulphide Mineralization
Original announcement by tmx on
- Company
- Metallic Minerals Corp.
- Ticker
- MMG
- Exchange
- TSX
- Region
- Colorado
- Primary commodity
- Copper
- Secondary commodities
- Silver, Gold, Platinum
- Document categories
- Metallurgy
- Extracted
- 2026-09-16 10:51:54 UTC
Analysis by Minestarters Atlas
Minestarters Atlas analysis
Summary
Metallic Minerals Corp. has demonstrated a proof-of-concept electrochemical oxidative leaching process that recovers 99.9% pure copper from La Plata sulphide material at ambient temperatures. The process achieves approximately 70% copper recovery and naturally partitions silver, gold, PGEs, and REEs into a solid residue for potential secondary recovery.
Reasoning: The release reports successful laboratory-scale proof-of-concept for a novel electrochemical leaching process that selectively recovers high-purity copper while partitioning other valuable metals into a residue.
Positive factors
- Successful proof-of-concept for direct electrochemical recovery
- High purity (99.9%) copper produced
- Natural metal partitioning allows for secondary recovery of Ag, Au, PGEs, and REEs
- Ambient temperature process avoids high-energy roasting or pressure oxidation
Negative factors
- Laboratory-scale results only
- Copper recovery (70%) is relatively low for a commercial process
- Scalability and economic viability are unproven
Facts used in scoring: 1
Classification and evidence
Bench Scale Onlynegative
Only preliminary bench tests completed — no locked-cycle or pilot work.
Why it applies: The results are described as initial laboratory-scale proof-of-concept testing.
Evidence · text
“These results demonstrate, for the first time on La Plata mineralized samples, that direct electrochemical oxidative leaching can effectively dissolve copper”
Mill Routeneutral
Processing via mill or concentrator (CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation).
Why it applies: The process involves leaching followed by electrodeposition, which is a chemical/electrochemical processing route.
Evidence · text
“streamlined two-stage process-leaching followed by electrodeposition”
QP/CP Signedpositive · Story-specific tag
Qualified Person (QP) or Competent Person (CP) named and signed off — a member of a recognized professional association (e.g., AusIMM, SME, AIG, P.Geo) with relevant experience.
Why it applies: The metallurgical testing disclosure was reviewed and approved by Scott Petsel, a Qualified Person (P. Geo).
Evidence · text
“reviewed and approved by Scott Petsel, M.S., CPG, P. Geo., President, Metallic Minerals Corp., who is a Qualified Person”
POX/BIOX Routeneutral
Pressure or bio-oxidation for refractory ore — high CAPEX and OPEX.
Why it applies: the document describes a pox_biox route ("pressure oxidation")
Single Domain Onlynegative
Testing limited to one composite or domain — representativeness not established.
Why it applies: only one composite was tested
Extracted facts
Stored fact records: 1. Some facts used in scoring do not have a stored record.
Metallurgical Results (1)
electrochemical oxidative leachingLa Plata · copperRecovery: 70 %View all detailsHide details
Identity
- Project
- La Plata
- Commodity
- copper
- Region
- usa_co
- Reported Region
- Colorado
- Ticker
- MMG
Test Work
- Program Status
- scoping
- Test Type
- electrochemical oxidative leaching
- Processing Route
- ambient-temperature electrochemical oxidative leaching
- Sample
- whole La Plata chalcopyrite-dominant sulphide material from drill samples
Recovery
- Recovery
- 70 %
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
- Conc. Grade
- 99.9
- Conc. Grade Unit
- %
Lab
- Consultant
- Columbia University's Gadikota Research Group
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-02-26T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Achieved 70% recovery of copper into a 99.9% pure metallic form via a novel ambient-temperature process.
Positive factors
- High purity 99.9% metal achieved
- Ambient temperature operation
Negative factors
- 70% recovery is relatively low
- Laboratory scale only
Evidence · text
“approximately 70% of the copper contained in sulphide from drill samples was selectively solubilized”
Tags used in scoring
Low Recoverynegative
Recovery below the weak band for the commodity and processing route.
Why it applies: 70% is below the weak band (80%)
How Atlas produces this analysis
Minestarters Atlas uses automated extraction to summarize mining announcements, identify reported measurements, and classify supporting evidence. Sentiment reflects the extracted narrative and classification rules; it is an interpretation, not a reported measurement. Evidence quotes and context are provided where available. Missing data, low-confidence results, and review flags indicate limitations. Check the original publisher announcement before relying on an interpretation.