Northern Minerals plant test success

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Northern Minerals (ASX: NTU) has completed pilot scale testing of its hydrometallurgical processing plant for the company’s Browns Range project.

According to the company the pilot testing successfully recovered high-value dysprosium from its simple flowsheet design, which Northern Minerals claims has reinforced Browns Range as one of the world’s most exciting new sources of dysprosium.

The recent hydrometallurgical pilot plant testing produced a 20 per cent Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) mineral concentrate, which demonstrates the flowsheet to be amenable to commercial operations.

A high recovery of dysprosium was achieved at 90 per cent, with 88.2 per cent TREO recovery as well as the delivery of a high purity mixed rare earth (RE) oxalate (46 per cent TREO) or oxide (99 per cent TREO) product.

 

Final product: RE oxalate. Source: Company announcement

 

Northern Minerals explained the hydrometallurgical testwork was completed during two, five-day continuous runs in March and April this year, with approximately 825 kilograms of concentrate processed through the kiln, producing approximately 85kg of mixed RE oxalate.

This followed the company’s successful pilot testing of the beneficiation plant in January.

“The successful completion of the hydrometallurgical pilot plant run is a major milestone in the development of the project’s process flowsheet,” Northern Minerals managing director George Bauk said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“One of the standout features of the project is the type of mineralisation, which is not only rich in dysprosium, but is predictable, uncomplicated in processing, and can be refined into a very high purity and highly marketable product.

“The results from the hydrometallurgical pilot testing has reinforced this advantage.

“It has confirmed a simple and robust flowsheet design with no material handling issues, and delivered high recoveries of dysprosium and other complementary heavy rare earths.

“This testing program has given us even more confidence in the metallurgy and flowsheet design, further de-risking the project as we progress our feasibility study program.”

Northern Minerals indicated it has a final five-day run of the hydrometallurgical pilot plant scheduled this month, which it anticipates will increase recoveries and obtain additional engineering data for scale-up purposes.

Email: info@northernminerals.com.au

Website: www.northernminerals.com.au