Mucking & hauling equipment
New mucking and hauling equipment brought into the mine.
Unlocking morefrom Mina Real.
Rochester Resources is improving silver recovery at its long-running Mina Real operation in Nayarit, Mexico, with a new pretreatment circuit and a revamped mine and plant.
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The opportunity
The silver was already there.The challenge was recovering it.
Mina Real’s mineralized material carries a naturally high manganese content. Manganese occludes silver and interferes with conventional cyanide leaching, which historically limited silver recovery.
Already mined.
Already crushed.
Over many years of operation, the company has accumulated significant tonnage of mineralized material in its tailing impoundment areas. With the upgraded mill now able to handle the higher manganese content, processing this material is a focus for fiscal 2027.
Recovery
Changing the recovery equation.
In 2024, a laboratory testing program with the University of Guanajuato identified a pretreatment ahead of conventional cyanidation. A three-month industrial pilot at the plant confirmed the lab work. In fiscal 2026, reported silver recovery was 66.70%, up from 52.98% in fiscal 2025.
Silver recovery at the plant
Historical baseline, industrial pilot and reported fiscal-year results
Fiscal-year figures are reported plant results from the MD&A for the year ended May 31, 2026. Gold recovery was 99.60% in fiscal 2026 (fiscal 2025: 96.76%). Pilot figures are from a three-month industrial pilot.
From lab to plant
From lab bench to operating circuit.
- 01 / 06
Research
A laboratory testing program, in partnership with the University of Guanajuato, evaluated mine mineralized material, tailings, and blends of both.
- 02 / 06
Testing
Testing identified a pretreatment of ammonia bisulfite and sulphuric acid ahead of conventional cyanidation, with substantial improvements in recoveries.
- 03 / 06
Pilot
A three-month industrial pilot at the plant confirmed the lab work: 62% silver recovery from mine mineralized material and 56% from tailings.
- 04 / 06
Engineering
A conceptual engineering study defined a full-scale circuit sized for 500 tons per day of tailings alongside 160 tons per day of fresh mineralized material.
- 05 / 06
Construction
Engineering, permitting, procurement and construction were carried out over the course of 2024, with plant modifications beginning in October 2024.
- 06 / 06
Start-up
The new circuit commenced operations on March 21, 2025.
Estimate
~US$4M
Estimated capital cost
Conceptual engineering study estimate
Design capacity
500 tpd
Tailings, tons per day
Design capacity of the full-scale circuit
Design capacity
160 tpd
Fresh mineralized material, tons per day
Design capacity of the full-scale circuit
Company
Mar 21, 2025
New circuit commenced operations
Plant modifications began in October 2024
Revamping Mina Real
Not just a new process.
A revamped operation.
With the design in place, the company carried out a comprehensive revamp of both the mine and the plant.
Mucking & hauling equipment
New mucking and hauling equipment brought into the mine.
Water pumping stations
Mine water pumping stations rehabilitated, including cleaning of sump 018.
New pumps
New pumps installed, including a 40 HP pump at sump 018.
Electrical systems
Mine electrical systems upgraded.
Compressed-air systems
Mine compressed-air systems upgraded.
Ball mill · 6′ × 6′
After the 6′ × 5′ mill went out of service in October 2025, the company sourced a used 6′ × 6′ mill, rebuilt and installed it, with a corresponding slurry pump upgrade. It was commissioned and began operating in late December 2025.
Centrifugal decanter
A high-speed centrifugal decanter for liquid-solid separation, installed and started up, recovers water, residual values and cyanide for reuse.
Water recovery
Water is recovered by the centrifugal decanter for reuse.
Cyanide recovery & reuse
Cyanide is recovered for reuse, cutting fresh reagent consumption.
Electrical substation
A new electrical substation, with a 750 kVA transformer and compact substation installed.
Tailings filtering station
An expanded tailings filtering station, enabling dry-stacked tailings storage.
Dry-stacked tailings
Tailings stored dry-stacked, rather than wet.
Stainless-steel process tanks
New stainless-steel process tanks, including two reagent tanks with stainless-steel piping and pumps, an acidity/basicity control tank, and a new 18,500-litre stainless-steel tank for ammonium bisulfite.
Crushing circuits
Primary, secondary and tertiary crushing circuits revamped, including repairs to the jaw crusher and the 4 ft and 3 ft cone crushers.
Drum filters
Existing drum filters fully rehabilitated. On vacuum filter no. 2, damaged steel was replaced, filter screens changed and the filter drive rebuilt.
Ball mill · 6′ × 12′
Babbitt bearing replaced on the 6′ × 12′ ball mill.
Precipitation
Two new Butters filters constructed for the precipitation circuit.
Laboratory
A micro-balance for weighing gold and silver installed and in operation.
Water pumping stations
Mine water pumping stations rehabilitated, including cleaning of sump 018.
New pumps
New pumps installed, including a 40 HP pump at sump 018.
Electrical systems
Mine electrical systems upgraded.
Compressed-air systems
Mine compressed-air systems upgraded.
Ball mill · 6′ × 6′
After the 6′ × 5′ mill went out of service in October 2025, the company sourced a used 6′ × 6′ mill, rebuilt and installed it, with a corresponding slurry pump upgrade. It was commissioned and began operating in late December 2025.
Centrifugal decanter
A high-speed centrifugal decanter for liquid-solid separation, installed and started up, recovers water, residual values and cyanide for reuse.
Water recovery
Water is recovered by the centrifugal decanter for reuse.
Cyanide recovery & reuse
Cyanide is recovered for reuse, cutting fresh reagent consumption.
Electrical substation
A new electrical substation, with a 750 kVA transformer and compact substation installed.
Tailings filtering station
An expanded tailings filtering station, enabling dry-stacked tailings storage.
Dry-stacked tailings
Tailings stored dry-stacked, rather than wet.
Stainless-steel process tanks
New stainless-steel process tanks, including two reagent tanks with stainless-steel piping and pumps, an acidity/basicity control tank, and a new 18,500-litre stainless-steel tank for ammonium bisulfite.
Crushing circuits
Primary, secondary and tertiary crushing circuits revamped, including repairs to the jaw crusher and the 4 ft and 3 ft cone crushers.
Drum filters
Existing drum filters fully rehabilitated. On vacuum filter no. 2, damaged steel was replaced, filter screens changed and the filter drive rebuilt.
Ball mill · 6′ × 12′
Babbitt bearing replaced on the 6′ × 12′ ball mill.
Precipitation
Two new Butters filters constructed for the precipitation circuit.
Laboratory
A micro-balance for weighing gold and silver installed and in operation.
Efficiency
Recover more.
Reuse more.
Waste less.
The upgraded circuit adds pretreatment ahead of conventional cyanidation, recovers water and cyanide for reuse, and stores tailings dry-stacked rather than wet.
- Tailings500 tpd design · plannedMineralized material160 tpd design
- New stagePretreatmentAmmonia bisulfite + sulphuric acid
- Conventional cyanidation↺ Water + cyanide recovered for reuse
- RecoverySilver & goldFiltered tailingsDry-stacked
What changed
Before and after the upgrades.
Before
Upgraded operation
Silver recovery
Historical baseline near 43%
Silver recovery 66.70% in fiscal 2026Reported. Fiscal 2025: 52.98%. Gold recovery 99.60%
Process
Conventional cyanidation, limited by manganese
Pretreatment added ahead of conventional cyanidationAmmonia bisulfite + sulphuric acid
Tailings
Significant tonnage accumulated in the tailing impoundment areas
Planned as mill feedA focus for fiscal 2027. First 102 tonnes processed in Q4 fiscal 2026
Tailings storage
Wet tailings storage
Filtered, dry-stacked tailingsExpanded tailings filtering station
Also part of the upgraded operation: water and cyanide recovery for reuse, and a comprehensively revamped mine and plant.
The next phase
Building on the results.
Expected
Oct 2026
Larger pretreatment tank: expected completion
Mid to late October 2026. Expected to allow increased capacity through the mill
Expected
Up to 400 tpd
Expected plant capacity when all work is completed
Management expectation, news release May 4, 2026. Not yet achieved
Reinvesting in people
Company
25%
Salary increase
Following several years of static salaries
Improved profitability has allowed the company to reinvest in its people, with a 25% increase to salaries that had been static for several years.
Investors
Investor information.
Stock information
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