Cleaner Recovery Tech Turns Mine Waste into Cash Flow

NetworkNewsWire Editorial Coverage

NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2025 /CNW/ -- Across Colombia's legendary gold-producing regions, generations of traditional mining operations have accumulated enormous volumes of tailings, material that earlier technologies deemed worthless but which actually harbors substantial reserves of precious metals. These historical deposits now present a dual opportunity to both remedy long-standing environmental concerns while also accessing previously unrecoverable gold and silver through cutting-edge extraction methods. ESGold Corp. (CSE: ESAU) (OTCQB: ESAUF) (Profile) is pioneering this innovative approach, where its recently unveiled, fully permitted joint venture in Bolívar demonstrates how next-generation processing capabilities can convert abandoned mining waste into profitable, sustainable operations. Through environmentally conscious practices, ESGold is simultaneously extracting valuable resources and transforming decades-old ecological burdens into engines of responsible economic development. ESGold joins a select group of mining companies — including Kinross Gold Corp. (NYSE: KGC), Gold Fields Ltd. (NYSE: GFI), BHP Group Ltd. (NYSE: BHP) and Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE: WPM) — that are focused on positioning themselves in the global mining space through the use of environmentally friendly, advanced technologies combined with careful strategy.

• ESGold Corp.'s announcement regarding a JV with Planta Magdalena S.A.S. demonstrates the company's tactical expansion into Colombia.
• The company's sampling campaign within the Bolívar tailings zone has delivered highly promising outcomes that validate the substantial economic opportunity.
• Bolívar stands as one of Colombia's most historically important and actively productive gold-extraction districts.
• The Bolívar joint venture represents ESGold's initial expansion of its proven tailings-to-revenue model outside of Québec.
• ESGold's tailings reprocessing approach generates environmental improvements over conventional mining operations, tackling historical ecological issues while establishing high-margin economic opportunities.

Click here to view the custom infographic of the ESGold Corp. editorial.

Colombia's Untapped Mining Revolution

Colombia emerges as South America's geological treasure trove, where precious metals lie embedded throughout its diverse mineral landscapes. The nation achieved remarkable success in 2024, exporting roughly 60 metric tons of gold while accumulating around $3.55 billion in mining revenues from January through November. Gold production has been fundamental to Colombia's economic foundation, with key mining territories including Antioquia, Chocó, Bolívar and Córdoba establishing themselves as the country's premier extraction centers.

Yet Colombia's true potential extends far beyond current mining activities, residing within enormous stockpiles of historical tailings, centuries-old waste deposits from previous extraction efforts that continue to house substantial concentrations of valuable metals. Studies indicate that innovative reprocessing methods, especially hydrometallurgical approaches, can successfully extract precious and critical metals from these abandoned materials while simultaneously minimizing environmental hazards.

This intersection of abundant natural resources and cutting-edge recovery systems creates an extraordinary prospect for Colombia's future. Historical mining waste, previously viewed as an environmental burden, now represents a pathway to generate fresh income sources, address ecological concerns and advance sustainable mining practices.

Leading this transformative movement is ESGold Corp., a sustainable gold and silver development enterprise that champions a tailings-first extraction strategy. Though the company's primary operations are located in Quebec, ESGold has demonstrated its dedication to expanding this innovative approach throughout the Americas, with Colombia representing a key target market. Through the reprocessing of legacy tailings using sophisticated, environmentally conscious technologies, the company seeks to achieve rapid, profitable production while minimizing ecological disruption, exemplifying how technological advancement and environmental stewardship can unite in mining's sustainable future.

Strategic Colombian Gold Partnership Secured

ESGold Corp.'s latest announcement regarding a joint venture with Planta Magdalena S.A.S. in Colombia demonstrates the company's tactical expansion into this mineral-abundant nation. The organization has established a binding memorandum of understanding with Planta Magdalena to advance a fully permitted gold and silver venture within Colombia's Department of Bolívar.

This collaborative arrangement involves ESGold investing C$1.5 million to acquire a 50% joint venture stake, while securing first rights to acquire the remaining 50% within 12 months at fair market valuation established through independent third-party assessment. Crucially, Planta maintains existing operational permits, providing ESGold with an exceptional, immediate opportunity to establish a second production center complementing its Quebec-based Montauban facility.

The Department of Bolívar constitutes one of Colombia's premier gold-extraction territories, where artisanal and small-scale operations collectively handle an estimated 300,000 tonnes of ore per year, yielding roughly 128,000 ounces of gold. Following completion of definitive documentation and verification procedures, ESGold targets commissioning the Bolívar facility with planned operations beginning in 2026. The company intends to execute qualified person-supervised field assessments in early September for comprehensive tailings evaluation and metallurgical recovery analysis, while completing bulk-sample concentrate testing at its Montauban operations.

Exceptional Bolívar Sampling Results Revealed

ESGold's comprehensive reconnaissance sampling campaign within the Bolívar tailings zone has delivered highly promising outcomes that validate the substantial economic opportunity presented by this strategic alliance. Company reports indicate that 27 tailings samples underwent rigorous analysis at ACTLABS, producing an impressive average grade of approximately 5.52 grams per tonne gold.

The evaluation program demonstrated that nearly one-third of samples (8 out of 27) exceeded the significant 5 g/t Au threshold, indicating widespread precious metal distribution throughout the tailings deposit. Particularly notable intercepts emerged from the program, with sample SS806 delivering an exceptional 42.683 g/t Au, while samples SS816 and SS817 returned robust grades of 19.284 g/t Au and 18.332 g/t Au respectively. The sampling initiative also unveiled considerable silver mineralization potential, with numerous samples producing attractive silver concentrations surpassing 190 g/t Ag.

While these initial findings represent selective sampling and cannot be extrapolated across the complete tailings resource, they offer strong validation of the precious metal concentrations historically abandoned by traditional processing technologies throughout the region. ESGold acknowledges these finding represent preliminary, selective samples that may not reflect the broader project scope, yet they establish positive benchmarks for the detailed assessment program currently advancing.

The company is presently completing bulk-sample metallurgical evaluations to validate recovery efficiencies for the planned processing flowsheet, with testing conducted at ESGold's Montauban operations and verification assays performed at ACTLABS in Québec under accelerated timelines. This methodical metallurgical testing protocol will deliver essential technical data for refining operational parameters and substantiating the commercial feasibility of the tailings reprocessing venture, supported by these encouraging preliminary analytical results.

Advanced Technology Transforms Colombian Mining Legacy

Bolívar stands as one of Colombia's most historically important and actively productive gold-extraction districts, where generations of mining heritage continue yielding considerable precious metals through primarily artisanal and small-scale enterprises. Nevertheless, most ore processing relies on basic mercury amalgamation techniques that generally extract fewer than half the contained gold and silver reserves, abandoning significant precious metals concentrations in the produced tailings.

This inefficient extraction approach establishes a remarkable prospect for contemporary processing systems to retrieve abandoned precious metals, essentially converting current waste streams into profitable production material. The region's persistent dependence on obsolete processing methodologies indicates that generations of tailings accumulation harbor considerable precious metals deposits recoverable through modern, mercury-free extraction technologies. ESGold's advanced processing methodology can substantially enhance recovery percentages while eliminating environmental damage linked to mercury-dependent extraction practices.

The combination of significant tailings reserves, established mining infrastructure and an experienced regional workforce establishes ideal circumstances for deploying modern recovery systems that can extract value from previously discarded materials. CEO Gordon Robb observed that the region's developed mining infrastructure and experienced local workforce establish favorable conditions for initiating operations with immediate potential, enabling ESGold to showcase substantial improvements in precious metals extraction while supporting economic advancement within local mining communities.

A Launchpad to Scale Proven Model

The Bolívar joint venture represents ESGold's initial extension of its proven tailings-to-revenue methodology outside of Québec, serving as a key test for deploying this strategy across diverse regulatory environments. ESGold has successfully refined and demonstrated this breakthrough approach through its Montauban operations in Québec, where the framework centers on establishing immediate revenue streams from tailings reprocessing that simultaneously finance exploration programs, potentially unlocking fresh discoveries and resource growth.

"The Bolívar opportunity perfectly fits our vision for ESGold's growth," said Mastantuono. "Our team sees this as a launchpad to scale our proven model across multiple jurisdictions, delivering value for shareholders while making a measurable positive impact in the communities where we operate."

The strategic blueprint established via the Bolívar alliance creates a framework for subsequent joint ventures and asset acquisitions, illustrating ESGold's capability to quickly and efficiently broaden its operational presence while preserving prudent capital management. Through securing permitted assets within established mining regions, the company can establish consistent, replicable revenue generation that supports exploration and discovery initiatives without necessitating ongoing equity fundraising, establishing a self-sustaining growth engine that amplifies shareholder value.

Sustainable Mining Transforms Colombian Communities

ESGold's tailings reprocessing approach generates substantial ecological improvements that surpass conventional mining operations, tackling historical environmental issues while establishing economic opportunities for regional populations. The company's innovative mercury-free extraction processes mark a considerable advancement over basic techniques currently utilized across the Bolívar area, where mercury amalgamation not only diminishes precious metal recovery but also generates persistent environmental pollution affecting local wildlife habitats and public health.

Rehabilitating abandoned mining locations through responsible tailings reprocessing can substantially enhance environmental quality in zones affected by decades of ineffective processing approaches. ESGold's environmentally conscious processing protocols eliminate mercury usage while incorporating thorough environmental oversight measures that safeguard air and water resources, minimize emissions, and restore damaged terrain through structured site rehabilitation. This methodology converts environmental burdens into productive resources while providing quantifiable enhancements to regional environmental standards.

The ecological advantages encompass fostering sustainable regional employment prospects that offer alternatives to environmentally damaging mining activities. Through showcasing the financial benefits of clean processing innovation, ESGold can promote wider acceptance of environmentally sound mining techniques throughout the area while generating secure, well-compensated positions that bolster local economic growth. The company's dedication to community involvement and environmental responsibility reflects its comprehensive mission of demonstrating that profitable mining ventures can produce positive environmental and social results, setting a new benchmark for responsible resource development in historically affected mining territories.

"Bolívar has a long and storied history as one of Colombia's most prolific gold-producing regions, with decades of artisanal and small-scale mining contributing significantly to the country's overall output," said ESGold CEO Gordon Robb. "The region still processes hundreds of thousands of tonnes of ore annually, yet much of it is handled using rudimentary mercury amalgamation methods that leave behind a substantial amount of gold and silver in the tailings.

"This creates an immense opportunity for ESGold to apply modern, environmentally responsible recovery technology that can significantly improve yields while remediating legacy mine sites," Robb continued. "The early validation from our due-diligence sampling is highly encouraging, and it underscores the scalability of our tailings-to-cash-flow model as we aim to build a second high-margin operation in one of the most prolific gold-bearing districts in all South America."

Mining Giants Drive Sustainable Innovation Forward

Leading mining companies are reinforcing their competitive positions through strategic sustainability initiatives and technological innovations that address both operational efficiency and environmental responsibility. These coordinated efforts demonstrate how industry leaders are adapting to evolving market demands while maintaining their commitment to responsible resource development across global operations.

Kinross Gold Corp. (NYSE: KGC) has published its 2024 Sustainability Report, providing a fulsome summary of the Company's progress over the past year in furthering its sustainability strategy. The report reflects the company's commitment to sustainability, which is deeply rooted in its values — which are driven by three pillars: workforce and community, natural capital, and climate and energy— and culture, as well as its commitment to responsible mining. Now in its 17th year, the report provides a comprehensive update to the company's stakeholders on the progress made in 2024, and what the company aims to achieve in 2025 and beyond. The report details the company's uncompromising approach to responsible mining that underpins its operational success.

Gold Fields Ltd (NYSE: GFI) has marked a significant milestone in the development of its landmark A$296 million St Ives Renewable Energy project, after foundations for wind turbines were laid. Seven concrete foundations have been poured at the project site in preparation for the arrival of the wind turbine components by September. Once operational, the renewable energy system will power more than 70% of Gold Fields St Ives mine, becoming western Australia's largest renewable energy initiative at an existing mine site. The gold producer has been expanding decarbonization initiatives at its 10 sites and projects around the world as part of its global target of 30% net emission reduction by 2030 from its 2016 baseline.

BHP Group Ltd. (NYSE: BHP) is part of an industry consortium comprised of leading steelmakers and other value chain players, which are undertaking a prefeasibility study to assess the development of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) hubs across Asia. The CCUS Hub study is the first independent industry-led study of its kind in Asia and will examine the technical and commercial pathways to utilizing CCUS in hard-to-abate industries across Asia. The study will focus on the potential to develop large-scale projects that can repurpose, or store, captured carbon dioxide (CO2). The plan is for each participant in the study to be included in at least one hub, and the study will deliver conceptual development strategies for each hub including cost and schedule estimates, and potential commercialization pathways.

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE: WPM) has announced the return of its Future of Mining Challenge and invites ventures from around the world to propose industry solutions aimed at improving operational efficiencies and minimizing environmental impacts. The company believes that constant innovation is essential to responsibly meet the growing global demand for minerals and metals, and Wheaton is uniquely positioned to support the industry as it advances the delivery of essential commodities and materials in a more sustainable manner. For the 2025/26 challenge, Wheaton will award $1 million to a cleantech venture with innovative technology that seeks to advance sustainable water management in the mining industry.

These strategic initiatives collectively illustrate how established mining companies are positioning themselves for long-term success by integrating environmental stewardship with operational excellence. These industry leaders are establishing new benchmarks for responsible mining while strengthening their market positions in an increasingly sustainability-focused global economy.

For further information about ESGold Corporation, please visit ESGold Corp.

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