Comstock Commences Production at Mercury and Gold Extraction Facility

VIRGINIA CITY, Nev., Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comstock Mining Inc. (NYSE: LODE) (“Comstock” and the “Company”) and Mercury Clean Up LLC (“MCU”) today announced that Clean Mercury Remediation Technologies (“CMRT”), MCU’s Philippine Inc.’s joint venture, has received its remaining permit and commenced full operations in the venture’s first commercial mercury remediation system in the province of Davao D’ Oro, Philippines.

“We are pleased to restart and initiate sales as we remediate mercury contamination and return the local environment back to its natural state,” said Comstock’s Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Corrado DeGasperis.

Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM)

Mercury‐dependent ASGM uses a process known as amalgamation to dissolve gold from natural deposits. The amalgam is then typically isolated by hand and then heated to distill the mercury and isolate the gold. Problematically, mercury is hazardous to human health and the environment, where residual ASGM wastes contaminate water and soil and bioaccumulate into the food chains. The risks to children are also substantial, with mercury emissions from ASGM resulting in both physical and mental disabilities and compromised development. The amalgamation process was regulated into extinction by most countries, but upwards of 20 million people in more than 70 countries still use mercury to mine for gold, making mercury pollution a U.N. prioritized global issue through the Minamata Convention.

Proprietary Remediation and Extraction Process

The Naboc River in Davao D’ Oro has long been a channel for effluents of mining activities, with hundreds of historical mining operations without sufficient tailing ponds to prevent releases of toxic, mercury-laden discharges. That history is evidenced by high levels of mercury and other contaminants in the local ecosystem, according to the Philippine’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

MCU’s Davao D’Oro facility is designed to remediate mercury contamination from the entire local ecosystem, thereby reviving a 24 kilometer stretch of the Naboc River and restoring all of its downstream irrigation systems for safe use, while extracting and selling residual gold and cleaned sand, soil and gravel co-products for multiple high-margin revenue streams.

“The Davao D’Oro facility is expected to produce pre-tax operating income, depending on yields,” continued DeGasperis. “Our deployment plans for MCU involve sustained growth through continued expansion with many additional facilities after moving into positive cash flows with the Davao D’Oro facility over the next few months.”

A photo accompanying this announcement is available here.

About Comstock Mining Inc.
Comstock Mining Inc. (NYSE: LODE) (the “Company”) is an emerging innovator and leader in the sustainable extraction, valorization, and production of scarce natural resources, with a focus on high value strategic materials that are essential to meeting the rapidly increasing global demand for clean energy, carbon-neutrality, and natural products. To learn more, please visit www.comstockmining.com.

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Some of those risks and uncertainties include the risk factors set forth in our filings with the SEC and the following: adverse effects of climate changes or natural disasters; adverse effects of global or regional pandemic disease spread or other crises; global economic and capital market uncertainties; the speculative nature of gold or mineral exploration, mercury remediation and lithium, nickel and cobalt recycling, including risks of diminishing quantities or grades of qualified resources; operational or technical difficulties in connection with exploration or mercury remediation, metal recycling, processing or mining activities; costs, hazards and uncertainties associated with precious metal based activities, including environmentally friendly and economically enhancing clean mining and processing technologies, precious metal exploration, resource development, economic feasibility assessment and cash generating mineral production; costs, hazards and uncertainties associated with mercury remediation, metal recycling, processing or mining activities; contests over our title to properties; potential dilution to our stockholders from our stock issuances, recapitalization and balance sheet restructuring activities; potential inability to comply with applicable government regulations or law; adoption of or changes in legislation or regulations adversely affecting our businesses; permitting constraints or delays; ability to achieve the benefits of business opportunities that may be presented to, or pursued by, us, including those involving battery technology, mercury remediation technology and efficacy, quantum computing and advanced materials development, and development of cellulosic technology in bio-fuels and related carbon-based material production; ability to successfully identify, finance, complete and integrate acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, business combinations, asset sales, and investments that we may be party to in the future; changes in the United States or other monetary or fiscal policies or regulations; interruptions in our production capabilities due to capital constraints; equipment failures; fluctuation of prices for gold or certain other commodities (such as silver, zinc, lithium, nickel, cobalt, cyanide, water, diesel, gasoline and alternative fuels and electricity); changes in generally accepted accounting principles; adverse effects of war, mass shooting, terrorism and geopolitical events; potential inability to implement our business strategies; potential inability to grow revenues; potential inability to attract and retain key personnel; interruptions in delivery of critical supplies, equipment and raw materials due to credit or other limitations imposed by vendors; assertion of claims, lawsuits and proceedings against us; potential inability to satisfy debt and lease obligations; potential inability to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting; potential inability or failure to timely file periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission; potential inability to list our securities on any securities exchange or market or maintain the listing of our securities; and work stoppages or other labor difficulties. 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