Future Battery Minerals Enthused by Metallurgical Results From Kangaroo Hills
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Future Battery Minerals (ASX: FBM) was keen to release results achieved from a maiden metallurgical testwork program carried out for the company’s 100 per cent-owned Kangaroo Hills lithium project (KHLP) in Western Australia.
Test work included X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), test results from which confirmed spodumene is the predominant lithium mineral (comprising ~90% of the Li2O) in the projects Big Red pegmatite.
Metallurgical results demonstrate Big Red to be amenable to conventional Dense Media Separation (DMS) and Froth Flotation separation techniques.
FBM explained the testwork results indicate a hybrid flowsheet utilising both DMS and Fines Flotation can produce a high-grade, marketable spodumene concentrate with low levels of contaminants.
The company stressed the testwork conducted was at a preliminary stage with the application of only first-principles processing methodologies and minimal optimisation work.
Although preliminary by nature, FBM said the results leave potential for further improvement in lithium recovery and concentrate product parameters with subsequent, more advanced testwork programs.
“The testwork results indicate that processing of Big Red material via a hybrid flowsheet utilising both DMS and Froth Flotation can produce a high-grade, marketable spodumene concentrate with low impurity levels at robust recoveries,” Future Battery Metals managing director and CEO Nicholas Rathjen said in the company’s ASX announcement.
“Being only preliminary testing, the results also demonstrate ample opportunity for further optimisation with more refined process evaluation across subsequent metallurgical testwork phases.
“The next stage of metallurgical testing is set to commence after completion of the upcoming Phase 4 drilling program at the KHLP.
This drill program will test the interpreted extension of the Big Red mineralisation, as well as other high-potential resistivity targets in the northern part of the project.
“This program it will also deliver additional, and broader, mineralisation samples for the further metallurgical testwork planned for Kangaroo Hills.”
TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE