OUR SERVICES:

METALLURGICAL
TESTWORK
MANAGEMENT

CHEMECH'S CREDENTIALS

Chemech’s involvement in numerous due diligence assessments and independent reviews has highlighted that the risks associated with metallurgical testwork are increasing. The significant risks that are becoming more prevalent include:

Sample selection does not appropriately represent the size and complexity of the orebody.
Testwork flowsheet and conditions are often based on a standard suite of tests and do not appropriately characterise the metallurgical response of the ore.
Testwork program outputs and the plant process design criteria are often misaligned in key areas.
Testwork fails to appropriately capture the impact of ore variability, resulting in either over-capitalisation or under-performance of the process plant.

The lack of nuance and respect for the individuality of orebodies in testwork programs can create significant risks to their owners, particularly as head grades are diminishing and ores are becoming more metallurgically complex. Therefore, owners increasingly need their programs managed by those with a lot of experience and the right credentials.

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With over 30 years of experience across 135+ metallurgical testwork programs, Chemech designs programs to meet real-world operational realities and doesn't just rely on the standard suite of tests.

OUR EXPERTISE

Chemech’s strong credentials in metallurgical testwork management have been honed during 30+ years of involvement in over 135 metallurgical testwork programs covering a range of precious and base metals. These credentials are enhanced by their ability to uniquely craft metallurgical testwork programs based on real plant design and operating issues, learnt from their operational roles and completion of many successful plant optimisation projects.

OUR TESTWORK MANAGEMENT OFFERING

Testwork program design.

Sample selection.

Testwork scoping, tendering and laboratory adjudication.

Targeted flowsheet development and process optimisation testwork.

Results interpretation and reporting.

Generation of inputs to the process design criteria from interpretation of results.

Technical support and guidance during the testwork program.

WORK WITH US

Case Study 1: Spartan Resources (Now Ramelius) - Dalgaranga Gold Project

Between 2023 and 2025, Spartan grew their Dalgaranga gold resource by 2.3Moz on the back of 18 successful testwork programs managed by Chemech. During this period, Spartan's share price grew 21 times before they merged with Ramelius Resources. Chemechs diligent management of the testwork was an important contribution to Spartans high-profile success.

Chemech's testwork management included program design; sample selection; scope generation; technical support and guidance of the laboratory; flowsheet development and optimisation; scheduling and expediting; results interpretation and reporting; and generation of inputs to the process design criteria.

Chemech were an important part of Spartan’s incredible 2-year journey following the discovery of the Never Never orebody and establishing a 2.3Moz gold resource. They managed our metallurgical testwork during this period and completed the process design for our options and feasibility studies. Chemech brought a level of experience, diligence and pragmatism to the team that gave great confidence in the outcomes and supported the rapid growth in Spartans value. It was great to have such a high-calibre independent resource that was completely aligned with our goals and objectives.

- Alex De Rossi, Spartan Resources General Manager Technical Services

Case Study 2: St Barbara – Simberi Sulphides Project

In 2023, St Barbara engaged Chemech to manage a large and complex testwork program on the highly-variable and refractory Simberi Sulphide orebodies. The success of the testwork program was key to transforming the Simberi Sulphides Project from a history of unsuccessful studies, to an economically viable project with significantly reduced metallurgical risk.

Key outcomes from Chemech's work included:

Metallurgical sample selection that suitably represented the size and complexity of the 3 orebodies
Selection of an economically viable flowsheet capable of delivering high recoveries (>90%)
Confirmation of the metallurgical response and optimisation of the flowsheet and conditions using results from more than 400 individual tests
Increasing gold recovery by more than 6% over historical programs
Significantly enhanced understanding of ore variability and its impact on metallurgical response and product quality

Chemech showed a very high-level of commitment and technical proficiency in managing our 2024 metallurgical testwork program, which included sample selection, technical oversight and direction, interpretation of results, and process design documentation. The end result of Chemech's work was optimisation of our process design and testwork outcomes that significantly reduced our processing risks relating to recovery and concentrate quality as well as delivering greater project value from improved gold recovery.

- Brett Ascott, St Barbara Executive General Manager Projects and Technical Support

VIEW SOME OF OUR TESTWORK ACCOMPLISHMENTS