Comstock Mining Inc. is committed to innovating toward new and exceptional class standards of practice for responsible exploration, development and mining. Comstock’s drive toward a breakthrough in the mining industry has aligned them with new strategic partners to test alternative, green technologies for mineral processing and remediation of an incredibly toxic material that continues to poison our environment from practices hundreds of years old.
Comstock Mining Inc. recently entered into an agreement with Mercury Cleanup LLC (“MCU”) for piloting, testing, and commercializing an organic-solution based, clean technology for remediating mercury from soils and rivers. On June 28, 2019, the Companies announced that Comstock Processing LLC (CPL) had entered an agreement with MCU, in collaboration with Oro Industries Inc. (“Oro”), for the manufacture and global deployment of mercury remediation systems. Mercury Clean Up LLC operates a proprietary mechanical, hydro, electro-chemical and oxidation processes to reclaim, treat and remediate mercury from tailings and industrial effluents derived from mining and industrial applications. The continued worldwide-unregulated use of mercury activities, primarily outside of the United States, has released thousands of tons of mercury, which is polluting the air, soils, and waters. It continues to poison marine life and endanger lives.
Ongoing, unregulated artisanal mining outside of the US represents more than 40% of the ongoing mercury contamination and represents a tremendous critical need to clean up the environment in a safe, sustainable manner. The use of mercury was banned throughout the US, but the contamination was left behind to continue to contaminate future generations.
It’s been stated that about 15 million pounds of poisonous mercury were used to extract gold and silver from the ore on the Comstock Lode. Due to the lack of focus and technology to remediate during that era, the Comstock Lode mines, landscape, and waterways are said to be still contaminated with levels of mercury 26 times higher than the federal standard.
Mercury is toxic and can’t be broken down or destroyed. MCU, in collaboration with Oro and Comstock Mining Inc., is pioneering a safe, effective process and solution to remediate the area and clean up our environment for generations to come. Comstock’s existing permitted infrastructure provides an ideal platform for evaluating and fine-tuning the MCU process. MCU will work closely with NDEP for any additional approvals, engineering design changes (EDC) or permits.
MCU will demonstrate the feasibility of the Mercury Remediation System within the historic, world-class, Comstock Lode mining district. Comstock Mining Inc. will provide the platform for testing the Mercury Remediation System, and MCU will conduct the initial trials starting small with a 2 ton per hour pilot operation and deliver the final feasibilities.
The ongoing testing of all of these alternative technologies underpins Comstock Mining Inc.’s commitment to innovating toward new and exceptional class standards of practice for responsible development.
Comstock Mining Inc. believes that breakthroughs using effective cleaner technologies will result in higher, faster recoveries with reduced waste, a streamlined permitting process, and lower long-term reclamation costs.