New Milestone With Multiphase Pilot Plant Program To Produce Zinc Sulfate

TORONTO - Nevada Zinc Corporation reported on the ongoing progress with the multiphase pilot plant program to produce zinc sulfate monohydrate currently being conducted by Hazen Research, Inc. for the Company's Lone Mountain zinc project. Hazen Research completed laboratory work to purify pregnant leach solution (PLS) recovered from acid leaching of zinc concentrate. Experiments were conducted to evaluate cementation and solvent extraction to remove impurities from the zinc bearing PLS.

Experiments demonstrated that greater than 99% of cadmium in the PLS was removed by cementation, reducing the cadmium concentration to less than 1 ppm. Solvent extraction contacts using di-(2-ethylhxyl) phosphoric acid (DEHPA) showed strong selectivity for zinc. Extraction of 98% of zinc was achieved in a single contact, while rejecting more than 90% of the impurities magnesium, calcium, and manganese.

Max Vichniakov, President and CEO, said, "We are extremely pleased with yet another positive outcome from our bench-scale testing program. Heavy metals occur naturally in source materials used to manufacture fertilizers. Consequently, concentrations of these hazardous constituents in the resulting fertilizers and animal feed must be completely eliminated or decreased to an absolute minimum to meet industry standards. Our ability to reduce cadmium levels to less than 1ppm speaks volumes about our project and sets us on the path for a very clean, environmentally friendly, premium zinc sulfate product. Successful completion of the solvent extraction step with high zinc recoveries moves us to the final phase of our envisioned flowsheet. We are extremely pleased with the progress made to-date and anxiously await the results of the next phase".

Crystallization, which is the final phase of the bench-scale testing program to produce zinc sulfate monohydrate, has now commenced and is projected to be completed in Q3/21. The Company will provide updates as material results become available.