Brazilian Critical Minerals Limited (ASX: BCM) has provided an update on work programmes from Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) with respect to the Ema Rare Earths Project which hosts an inferred mineral resource of 1.02Bt @ 793ppm TREO.
Andrew Reid, managing director, commented, “These results are quite stunning in their simplicity, to be able to desorb the rare earths so quickly at a high rate of recovery is quite remarkable. The physical and chemical characteristics of the mineralization at Ema have now been thoroughly tested giving similar results for both slurry (tank leaching) and now heap leaching.”
Work is being undertaken by ANSTO to test different process flow sheet options with the column testing (heap leaching) results achieving 63% recoveries of the key magnet rare earths MREO (Nd/Pr/Dy/Tb). The results are in line with previously announced slurry leach (tank leach) results which achieved 68%MREO recovery.
The results highlight the deposit’s amenability to simple low-cost mineral processing methods, such as heap leach, which can remove significant portions of a potential process flow sheet and reduce capex costs.
Further, the company believes there is clear potential to drive capex and opex even lower and is now evaluating the possibility of in-situ leaching, which if successful will demonstrate that it’s possible to achieve even lower processing costs through simpler and scalable treatment options. Lower unit operating costs can in turn lead to lower cut off grades which allow for the processing of additional mineralized material from the Ema 1.02Bt inferred mineral resource.
“These heap leach results have now validated a much lower capex path to production when compared to tank leaching. The company now intends to extend its testing regime towards in-situ leaching where we are confident of high recoveries being achieved, with the only unknown element of clay permeability to be determined. Field and lab work to demonstrate the permeability of the Ema mineralization to in-situ leaching is now being planned.”
To find out more, please visit www.brazilliancriticalminerals.com
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