Post: Why Gold Processing Needs a Safer, Smarter Path Forward

Duane Nelson - President and CEO RZOLV Technologies

For more than a century, gold extraction has relied on a chemistry that no longer reflects the realities of modern mining. Sodium cyanide, the dominant leach reagent since the late 1800s, helped build the global gold industry. But today it represents a structural constraint—scientifically, economically, and socially—on how operators can advance new projects, reprocess tailings, and extract value from increasingly complex mineral systems. As jurisdictions tighten restrictions, as communities demand safer practices, and as ore bodies become more challenging, the industry must acknowledge a simple truth: the next generation of gold production will not be defined by cyanide.

This belief is what motivated us to pursue a new hydrometallurgical pathway—one designed deliberately, methodically, and with industrial scalability at its core. The result of that effort is RZOLV, a non-toxic, water-based gold-leaching chemistry engineered to perform predictably across ores, concentrates, and tailings where cyanide consistently underperforms. RZOLV was not created in a single flash of insight; it evolved through thousands of controlled experiments, advanced kinetic modeling, and iterative pilot runs that revealed a distinct low-pH, low-ORP operating window capable of overcoming passivation, stabilizing redox conditions, and minimizing side reactions.

"Our goal was not to imitate cyanide. It was to solve the metallurgical challenges cyanide cannot."

What makes RZOLV truly transformative, however, is not only its chemistry but its operational compatibility. Mining companies cannot afford to rebuild their plants every time a new reagent is introduced. That is why RZOLV was engineered from the outset to integrate directly into existing CIP/CIL infrastructure. The reagent loads cleanly onto activated carbon, strips efficiently using conventional Zadra and AARL systems, electrowins with minimal impurities, and smelts into standard dore bars without modification. This end-to-end compatibility means mines can adopt safer chemistry without sacrificing performance or taking on capital risk.

Today, as we execute our 100-tonne commercial test program, the data speaks clearly: predictable dissolution curves, stable ORP, rapid gold mobilization, and strong carbon performance even in mineralogies where cyanide struggles. Perhaps most importantly, RZOLV enables operators to unlock categories of material they currently cannot process—high-arsenic concentrates, refractory ore zones, complex tailings, and deposits located in cyanide-restricted jurisdictions. These represent some of the industry’s largest untapped opportunities.

The gold sector is at an inflection point. ESG expectations are no longer optional. Investors are rewarding technologies that reduce environmental liabilities. Governments are reassessing the social and regulatory cost of cyanide. And the industry is confronting the reality that future growth will come from challenging ore types, not easy ones.

RZOLV is not presented as a replacement born of idealism, but as a commercially ready tool grounded in engineering discipline, data, and real-world performance. It offers miners a safer, more flexible chemistry that broadens what is possible in gold extraction.

For an industry built on innovation, this is exactly the kind of evolution we should expect—and one we are proud to lead.

Duane Nelson - President & CEO RZOLV Technologies Inc.

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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.