Post: Breaking the Smelter Monopoly: How RZOLV May Make Gold Concentrate Processing Cheaper, Cleaner, and Local

Staff writer - RZOLV November 15, 2025

For more than a century, gold producers have had little choice about what to do with their concentrates—the rich material left over after gold-bearing ore is crushed, ground, and separated. No matter how high the grade, concentrates have always been shipped off to giant smelters, often on the other side of the world, to extract the final metal.

But the smelter model comes with a hidden price tag: treatment fees, refining cuts, long-distance transport, and harsh penalties for elements like arsenic or sulfur. In many cases, miners surrender 10–20% of the gold value before it ever reaches a refinery.

Today, that long-standing system is being challenged by an unlikely disruptor: a clean-tech gold extraction reagent known as RZOLV™.

A New Way to Process Gold—Without the Smelter

RZOLV Technologies has developed a water-based, non-cyanide leaching formula that can dissolve gold directly from gravity or flotation concentrates—right at the mine site.

The significance cannot be overstated.

Instead of packaging and shipping concentrates across oceans, miners can now process them locally using a low-footprint modular plant. This means:

• No smelter treatment charges

• No refining deductions

• No arsenic or sulfur penalties

• No weeks of transport delays

• No lost payability

  
  

Suddenly, material that used to cost money to ship and smelt becomes a high-margin product that never leaves the property until gold is recovered.

The Problem With Smelters—And Why Miners Want Out

Most people outside the industry don’t realize how much money mining companies lose when sending concentrates to smelters. The deductions pile up quickly:

• Treatment charges can run $100–$300 per tonne

• Shipping costs can exceed $150 to $450 per tonne

• Refining charges skim off 2–4% of the gold value

• Significant penalty charges for arsenic, mercury, sulfur, or even moisture

• Smelters often pay only 85–95% of the gold contained

• Assay variances from the mine value claims to what the smelters pay

  
  

For high-sulfide or arsenic-rich concentrates—which are increasingly common—costs can skyrocket, and some smelters refuse them outright.

RZOLV turns this equation on its head. Contaminants that smelters punish miners for can be neutralized or stabilized during RZOLV processing, meaning no deductions and no environmental liability shipped overseas.

A Cleaner, Safer Alternative

Unlike cyanide, which is often not allowed for concentrate treatment beside communities or in certain jurisdictions, RZOLV’s chemistry is non-cyanide and water-based. It avoids:

• Toxic gas formation

• International hazardous materials transport

• Complex detoxification systems

• Heated public opposition

This gives miners something the industry has rarely had: a safe and socially acceptable way to recover gold on-site.

It also aligns with governments’ increasing demands for lower-carbon, lower-impact mineral processing.

Why This Shift Matters

The world is moving toward shorter supply chains, cleaner industrial processes, and technologies that reduce waste. RZOLV fits directly into that trajectory by enabling:

1. Local Value-Added Processing

   Gold stays where it is produced. Communities benefit from more jobs and more economic activity.

2. Higher Margins for Miners

   If smelter deductions erase 10–20% of value, recovering gold on-site can dramatically improve profitability—especially in remote operations.

3. Processing of “Unsellable” Concentrates

   High-arsenic and complex sulfide concentrates are increasingly rejected by smelters. RZOLV gives these stranded materials a pathway to value.

4. Smaller Environmental Footprints

   No long-haul transport, no furnaces, no emissions, and far fewer chemicals.

A Disruption a Century in the Making

The gold industry is notoriously slow to adopt new technologies. But economics have a way of breaking down resistance—and the math behind RZOLV is compelling.

If a mine produces 10,000 tonnes of concentrate per year, smelter fees, transport, and deductions could total millions of dollars annually. With RZOLV, that margin stays in the mine’s pocket.

This is why miners, investors, and governments are paying close attention. The shift from smelting to clean on-site leaching isn’t just an operational improvement—it’s a structural change that could reshape the gold supply chain.

A Future Where Gold Doesn’t Leave the Mine Until It’s Gold

RZOLV’s breakthrough technology makes it possible for mines—large or small—to take full control of their production, their economics, and their environmental footprint.

In a world that demands cleaner technologies, more efficient operations, and greater transparency, RZOLV offers a rare triple win:

• It saves money.

• It eliminates toxic processes.

• It keeps value local.

For an industry that has long accepted the smelter system as its unavoidable destiny, RZOLV represents something new: freedom.

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Disclosure and Cautionary Statement

This article has been published by RZOLV Technologies Inc. as part of its corporate communications and investor relations activities and reflects the views and opinions of management as of the date of publication. It is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, an offer to sell, or a solicitation to buy securities. Certain statements in this article may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially. Readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. The Company’s officers, directors, and insiders may hold securities of RZOLV and therefore have a financial interest in the Company’s performance. Readers are encouraged to review RZOLV’s public disclosure documents available on SEDAR+ for a discussion of material risks and assumptions. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider has reviewed or approved the contents of this article.