Toro Energy completes Wiluna beneficiation upgrades
THE INSIDE STORY: Toro Energy (ASX: TOE) has enjoyed a recent run of positive news in regards to the development of the company’s Wiluna uranium project in Western Australia.
On the technical side, beneficiation studies conducted on the recently upgraded uranium resource for the Wiluna uranium project demonstrated a conventional beneficiation involving simple screen and desliming steps could upgrade the majority of the feed to the proposed mill.
The beneficiation test work was carried out on seven drill core samples from the Centipede-Millipede and Lake Maitland deposits to identify methods for producing a high-grade, low mass uranium concentrate as mill feed, allowing greater overall operational efficiencies and reduced costs.
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Each assay was selected to represent the geology hosting the ‘economic’ uranium mineralisation at Wiluna of greater than 500ppm uranium, which is considered to be close to mill feed grades.
the testwork identified that beneficiation of up to 3.3 times can be achieved on the high-grade mineralisation associated with fine grained sediments , resulting in a reduction to just 27 per cent of its original mass, with a low 16 per cent loss of the total uranium.
The beneficiation upgrades have proven to not be grade dependent, and were achieved across all grades from as low as 220ppm uranium to sample grades of more than 2000ppm uranium.
“It was pleasing to be able to confirm the initial beneficiation test results we announced in May 2016,” Toro Energy managing director Dr Vanessa Guthrie told The Resources Roadhouse.
“The results told us the beneficiation combination works best wherever clays and/or very fine grained sediments dominate the geology, which is a significant proportion of the Wiluna geology.
“Even in samples where clay is not dominant, the de-sliming process still produced an improved result, indicating desliming to remove the fine grained fraction will deliver processing efficiencies across all lithologies at Wiluna.”
The beneficiated samples were also given a further work out to fine tune the carbonate leach process that is critical to the efficient extraction of uranium from the ore.
Extractions in excess of 90 per cent were achieved across all ore types, and leaching of the beneficiated concentrate occurred reasonably quickly, also providing an initial estimation of the leach extraction rates and uranium concentration in the leach liquor.
The tests determined that all concentrates displayed rapid leaching characteristics and high uranium extractions, irrespective of mineralogy.
The leaching process, completed within an eight hour timeframe, consumed reagents in a predictable and consistent manner, meaning the process can be modelled with confidence across the varying mineralogies and water compositions.
Importantly the results demonstrate a conventional carbonate leach circuit is able to readily extract uranium from beneficiated concentrates at the Wiluna project, which means that further cost saving improvements to the mineral processing circuit, can now be tested.
“The beneficiation and leaching testwork we have carried out at Wiluna has demonstrated we have a great opportunity to improve the project, simply by re-defining the processing circuit,” Guthrie said.
“It has increased our confidence that the current Scoping Study, being undertaken by Strategic Metallurgy, will highlight opportunities for substantial improvement to the project and ensure Wiluna is ready to take advantage of a strengthening uranium market.”
While all this was going on, news filtered through that the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) recommended approval for a proposed extension to the Wiluna project.
In addition to the previous approvals from the WA and Federal governments to mine the Centipede and Lake Way deposits and establish a processing plant at the Centipede mine site, the latest approval recommendation includes mining of the Millipede (located adjacent to Centipede) and Lake Maitland deposits, and construction of a haul road between Lake Maitland and the approved processing facility at Centipede.
With these approvals close to being finalised, an agreement with the Traditional Owners now cemented and the exciting improvements to the processing circuit emerging, Wiluna is now well set to take the first mover advantage as the uranium market returns.
Toro Energy Limited (ASX: TOE)
…The Short Story
HEAD OFFICE
Level 3, 33 Richardson Street
WEST PERTH
Western Australia 6005
Ph: +61 8 9214 2100
Email: info@toroenergy.com.au
Website: www.toroenergy.com.au
DIRECTORS
John Cahill, Dr Vanessa Guthrie, Richard Homsany, Michel Marier, Richard Patricio