Post: New Non-Cyanide Gold Extraction Technology Poised to Unlock Billions of Tonnes of Stranded Gold Resources

By Duane Nelson, President & CEO, RZOLV Technologies Inc - November 30, 2025

A groundbreaking advancement in gold extraction chemistry is opening access to billions of tonnes of gold-bearing material previously considered untreatable due to cyanide restrictions, mineralogical complexity, or environmental constraints. A new non-cyanide reagent system—marketed as RZOLV™—is emerging as a transformative technology capable of unlocking value from ore bodies, concentrates, and tailings long viewed as economically or politically inaccessible.

For more than 100 years, sodium cyanide has dominated industrial gold extraction. But despite its efficiency, cyanide is restricted or banned in more than 20 national and sub-national jurisdictions worldwide, including regions of the EU, Argentina, the United States, and Southeast Asia. Beyond regulatory obstacles, cyanide is chemically incompatible with large inventories of gold-bearing materials such as high-sulfide ores, arsenic-rich concentrates, acidic tailings, and refractory mineral systems.

These constraints have created an enormous stranded resource base. Published geological and mining literature indicates that more than 15–20 billion tonnes of gold-bearing ores, tailings, and concentrates globally fall outside cyanide’s processing window. A further 700–900 million tonnes of complex or refractory gold-bearing material is added annually through mining and processing operations.

RZOLV offers a solution uniquely tailored to this challenge. Engineered to perform in low-pH environments and across highly complex mineralogies, RZOLV enables cost-effective gold recovery from materials where cyanide is banned, restricted, or metallurgically ineffective — and from feeds that currently face severe smelter charges, penalties, or outright rejection. These include:

• Materials located in jurisdictions where cyanide is legally banned or socially unacceptable

• High-arsenic gold concentrates (where smelters impose extreme penalties or refuse treatment)

• Sulfide concentrates with deleterious elements such as Sb, Hg, Pb, and Bi

• Refractory ores following pre-treatment by POX/SOX/BIOX

• Legacy tailings containing cyanide residues, arsenic, or complex sulfide matrices

• Placer mining table tails: containing ultra-fine gold particles el

• Artisanal concentrates: presently being treated with mercury

• Heap/vat leaching candidates with clay-rich or carbonaceous characteristics that cause cyanide consumption spikes

• Stockpiles and mine-closure materials with low head grades but high contained metal value

  
  

“RZOLV is not here to replace cyanide—it unlocks an entirely new universe of opportunity,” said Duane Nelson, President and CEO of RZOLV Technologies. “Around the world, billions of tonnes of gold-bearing material remain stranded by environmental restrictions, political barriers, smelter penalties, or metallurgical complexity. RZOLV gives the industry a way to finally access these resources safely and economically. It transforms what was once impossible into a commercially viable reality.”

Recent studies and global technical datasets underscore the scale of this newly addressable market. Mine tailings alone exceed 100 billion tonnes worldwide across all commodities, with many containing recoverable gold in the 0.2–1.0 g/t range—material historically stranded due to environmental, regulatory, or metallurgical barriers.

Geological surveys further indicate that approximately 30% of the world’s undeveloped gold resources occur in refractory or sulfide-rich systems, which must undergo oxidative pre-treatment—such as POX, roasting, AlbIion, or BIOX—before gold can be leached. Both cyanide and RZOLV are suitable for leaching post-oxidized material, but RZOLV offers a low-pH alternative pathway in jurisdictions or project environments where cyanide use is restricted, faces social or permitting barriers, or is complicated by arsenic, mercury, antimony, or other deleterious elements.

Note: The tonnage values are industry-informed estimates designed to show relative scale, not exact numbers.

The implications for the gold industry—and for chemical manufacturers—are substantial. As governments intensify environmental oversight, and as investors place increasing emphasis on ESG-compatible mining, demand is rising rapidly for reagents capable of supporting sustainable gold recovery.

“The non-cyanide market has the potential to equal or surpass today’s cyanide market,” Nelson added. “It represents an entirely new category of addressable target materials: tailings, concentrates, high-sulfide ores, cyanide-restricted jurisdictions, and ISR environments previously considered impossible to develop. RZOLV opens that door.”

Companies across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America have already initiated laboratory testing and pilot deployments, with expansion discussions underway among both mining operators and chemical manufacturers seeking to diversify into next-generation extraction chemistry.

As the industry shifts toward safer, environmentally acceptable, and more versatile processing options, technologies like RZOLV may define the next major evolution of global gold production—unlocking stranded mineral wealth on a scale that rivals the original adoption of cyanide over a century ago.

QUALIFYING REFERENCES (PUBLIC-DOMAIN SOURCES)

1. Lottermoser, B. (2010). Mine Wastes: Characterization, Treatment and Environmental Impacts. Springer.

2. UNEP & ICOLD (2019–2023). Global Tailings Review & Database.

3. Hudson-Edwards, K. (2016). “Mining and Metallurgical Waste Management.” Elements.

4. La Brooy, S. et al. (1994). Review of Gold Extraction from Refractory Ores.

5. Habashi, F. (1999). Textbook of Hydrometallurgy.

6. Filippou & St-Germain (2011). “Recovery of Gold from High-Arsenic Concentrates.” Hydrometallurgy.

7. Alfantazi & Moskalyk (2003). “Processing of Arsenic-Bearing Minerals.” Minerals Engineering.

8. European Parliament Resolutions (2009, 2010) on cyanide mining prohibitions.

9. Provincial/state bans: Argentina (Chubut, Córdoba, La Rioja), USA (Montana), Turkey (judicial restrictions).

10. National prohibitions: Costa Rica, Hungary, Czech Republic.

11. UNEP Global Mercury Assessment (2018, 2023).12. World Bank / DELVE State of the Artisanal Mining Sector.13. IGF ASM Database (2020–2024).

12. U.S. EPA Groundwater Protection Framework (2000–2023).15. Australian State Mining Acts (NT, SA, WA).16. Mudd & Jowitt (2018). “The Rise of ISR in Mining.” Ore Geology Reviews

13. USGS Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS).18. USGS Mineral Commodity Summary—Gold (annual).19. Fraser Institute Mining Index.

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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.