TORONTO, ON — March 2, 2026 — Leads & Copy — Emerita Resources Corp. has announced positive results from metallurgical tests at its Iberian Belt West Project (IBW), showing 81% gold and 96% silver recovery using the Albion hydrometallurgical process.
The results surpass previous metallurgical findings reported on May 27, 2025, which showed gold recoveries of 81.5% and 64.1% using the optimized CLEVR post-flotation process.
The Albion Process™ is a post-flotation stage metallurgical process suitable for the La Romanera deposit. The samples tested consisted of the residual material remaining after the flotation process removed the base metal concentrates. While some gold and silver reports to the copper and lead concentrates, more than 80% is in the post flotation material. Developed in 1994 at Core’s laboratories, the Albion Process™ is licensed worldwide by Glencore Technology and is used for treating refractory gold concentrates through ultra-fine grinding and oxidative leaching.
The Albion Process™ test work, conducted at CORE Resources’ laboratories in Australia, included ultrafine grinding, atmospheric oxidation, oxidative neutral leaching at a mildly acidic to near‑neutral pH, and precious metals recovery via a Carbon-in-Pulp (“CIP”) recovery circuit followed by elution.
The Albion Process™ test results achieved 81% gold recovery and 96% silver recovery.
The company stated that these results demonstrate that the Albion hydrometallurgical oxidation route effectively liberates precious metals contained within refractory sulphide matrices at the IBW Project and significantly enhances silver recovery.
An alternative route previously evaluated for the IBW Project consisted of single-step pyrolysis and thermal oxidation (pyrometallurgical treatment); cooling, then acid washing; and gold leaching using CLEVR Process™ non-cyanide technology.
The CLEVR Process™ test results achieved 81.5% gold recovery and 64% silver recovery.
Emerita Resources will continue testing other technologies in 2026 to determine the most optimal flowsheet for the Project.
The metallurgical results achieved with both pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical routes significantly enhances the technical robustness of the IBW Project. The availability of two technically viable processing alternatives reduces metallurgical risk and increases flexibility in the selection of the final process flowsheet. The results offer potential to further optimize the flotation process and base metals recoveries and is currently being evaluated by the ongoing test work. The Company will decide on one of these options for the ongoing Prefeasibility Study (PFS), however there will be opportunity to incorporate further optimization of the process prior to a final design.
Joaquin Merino, President of Emerita, said that the Albion post flotation optimization process is key to unlocking the value of the mineralization at the IBW Project. He added that while both technologies demonstrate comparable gold recoveries of approximately 81%, the Albion route maximizes silver recovery, which may add significant value to the IBW Project.
Emerita aims to position the IBW Project as a reference project in the responsible and efficient development of mineral resources, evaluating alternatives based on precious metals recovery, operational efficiency, environmental performance, scalability, and long-term project economics.
Scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by each of Joaquin Merino, P.Geo., President of the Company and. Jorge A. Blanco, MChem., Director of Metallurgy of the Company and each a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.
Emerita Resources Corp. is focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Europe, primarily in Spain. The company’s corporate office and technical team are based in Sevilla, Spain, with an administrative office in Toronto, Canada.
Source: Emerita Resources Corp.
