Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. (TSX:PTQ)(OTCBB:PTQMF)(FRANKFURT:P7Z) (the "Company") today announced the planned expansion of its production system at its Molejon gold mine facility, located in Panama, by increasing grinding and processing capacity in addition to its on-going construction of a heap leach operation. The new production improvements, when fully implemented, are expected to generate an additional monthly recovery of 7,200 gold ounces.
Now at the final stages of implementation, the installation of a third drum scrubber will significantly improve the processing of clays. The additional installation of a new horizontal Carbon-in-Column circuit ("CIC") will increase by 80% the gold adsorption capacity and improve the efficiency of the gold recovery from the milling system as well as from the future heap leach operations. The combined efficiency of the new hydraulic capacity and CIC circuit will translate, as from the third calendar quarter of current 2011, into an increase in production of 1,000tpd and approximately 1,200 ounces of gold, monthly.