Column Leach Test Results Exceed Expectations for the Cheechoo Gold Project, Quebec

MONTREAL, Feb. 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The management of Sirios Resources Inc. (TSXV: SOI) is pleased to announce the results of metallurgical tests that were performed on approximately 500 kg of a composite sample material, representative of gold mineralization on the Cheechoo property. These tests, performed by the renowned firm KCA over several months in Reno, Nevada, were completed in January 2021.

After 151 days of column leaching, with a crushing size of 6.3 mm, gold recoveries were 80% at 20°C and 76% at 4°C (Table 1). The tests were conducted at various temperatures to simulate conditions that could be encountered in an environment simulating crushed and stacked mineralized material in the Cheechoo Project area. The average gold recovery results obtained were 78%, which is higher than the typical gold recoveries for heap leach projects (55-75%) according to the Canadian Mining Journal.¹

The tests also showed that reagent consumption remained low throughout the leaching process (average of 1.93 kg/t NaCN).

Temp.	Calculated Head Grade (g/t Au)	Gold Extracted		Consumption of NaCN (kg/t)	Addition Cement (kg/t)	Days of Leach	Crush Size (mm)	Crush Type
20°C	0.967	80	%	2.45	2.02	151	6.3	HPGR2
4°C	0.802	76	%	1.40	2.02

Table 1: Summary of Column Leach Work

Dominique Doucet, founder and CEO of Sirios, stated: "Several gold processing options are being evaluated for the Cheechoo Project, including heap leach and conventional mill treatment. However, the results released today are very encouraging and clearly demonstrate that heap leach is a viable option for recovering gold from the Cheechoo deposit. Now that these tests have been completed, the next step for the project will be to conduct a definition drilling program planned for the summer of 2021, with the goal of completing a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) study thereafter.”