Fulcrum Metals Achieves Breakthrough Gold Recovery with Cyanide-Free Tech in Canadian Tailings

Fulcrum Metals just dropped its full-year results, and frankly, it’s one of those RNS announcements that makes you lean in. The headline? A breakthrough in sustainable gold recovery that could reshape how the mining industry handles waste. Forget pickaxes and cyanide ponds-this is 21st-century resource optimisation.

Cyanide-Free Tech: Not Just Green, But Profitable

Let’s cut to the chase: Fulcrum’s partnership with Extrakt Process Solutions is paying off spectacularly. Using a proprietary non-toxic leaching technology, they’ve achieved:

• 59.4% gold recovery at Teck Hughes (vs. historic cyanide-based recovery of ~30%)
• 49% recovery at Sylvanite-a 63% jump from previous methods
• Leach times slashed from 48 hours to just 3–6 hours (that’s a 90%+ reduction)

Why does this matter? Traditional cyanide processing is environmentally toxic and politically fraught. Fulcrum’s tech eliminates that baggage while being faster and more efficient. It’s the kind of innovation that turns tailings-literally mining waste-into a strategic asset.

The Projects: Teck Hughes & Sylvanite

Fulcrum isn’t just testing beakers in a lab. They’re sitting on two high-potential tailings projects in Ontario’s Kirkland Lake gold camp, a region that’s produced 110M+ ounces of gold over a century.

Teck Hughes: The Flagship

• Resource: 138,460 oz Au (historical estimate)
• Phase 2 Economics: NPV of US$33m (7.5% discount), IRR of 21.4%, 4-year payback
• Upside: A 25% boost in recovery rates could lift NPV to US$75.5m

Sylvanite: The Strategic Add

• Acquired via option in 2024, just 3km from Teck Hughes
• Resource: 67,000 oz Au (historical)
• Initial grades aligned with expectations (0.58g/t Au)

Critically, both sites revealed tellurium, gallium, and silver in all assayed holes. Tellurium and gallium are Canadian-government-listed critical minerals-essential for solar panels and semiconductors. This isn’t just a gold story anymore; it’s a multi-commodity opportunity.

The Masterstroke: Exclusivity in Canada’s Golden Heartland

In May 2025, Fulcrum signed a Master Licence Agreement with Extrakt, granting exclusive rights to deploy this tech across the Timmins and Kirkland Lake gold camps. That’s a moat around 70+ legacy mine sites. CEO Ryan Mee nailed it:

“This cements our partnership with Extrakt and opens exciting long-term opportunities.”

Translation: Fulcrum isn’t just a project holder; it’s becoming a technology-led reprocessing hub.

Financials: Pruning the Portfolio, Preserving Cash

Yes, Fulcrum reported a £1.15m pre-tax loss for 2024. But context is key:

• Raised £860k+ from investors and directors (post-period: another £140k)
• Cash balance: £340,517 (down from £620k in 2023, but runway extended via strategic divestments)
• Smart monetisation: Sold uranium assets (CA$3.36m potential) and Tully Gold (CA$1.8m potential) to focus on tailings

This isn’t a scattergun explorer. It’s a company pivoting hard toward near-term cash flow from reprocessing, while keeping exploration optionality (Big Bear remains drill-ready).

Risks? Of Course. But the Path Is Clear

Fulcrum’s principal risks-currency exposure (costs in CAD, cash in GBP), funding needs, and permitting-are standard for juniors. But two factors stand out:

1. Technology de-risking: The leaching tech isn’t theoretical. It’s delivering in the field.
2. Scale potential: That exclusivity deal isn’t just for two sites. It’s a pipeline.

The Bottom Line

Fulcrum Metals is executing a highly focused, technology-driven strategy that could turn historical mining waste into cash flow within years-not decades. The cyanide-free breakthrough is more than an environmental win; it’s a commercial accelerant. With critical minerals adding optionality and an exclusive tech license in hand, this AIM minnow is swimming in waters that just got a lot more interesting.

One to watch? Absolutely. The 2025 drill program and feasibility work at Teck Hughes will be telling. In the meantime, kudos to the team for turning tailings into headlines-and potentially, into profits.