Victory Metals Limited has received further metallurgical test results using diagnostic test methods on composite drill samples from the North Stanmore Rare Earth Element Project, located approximately 10km north from the town of Cue, Western Australia.
The results were received from two composite samples prepared from 12 representative samples collected from across the project. The results have identified the process conditions required to produce very high light rare earth elements (LREE) and heavy rare earth elements (HREE) yields at North Stanmore.
The testwork demonstrated recoveries of LREE up to 78% Neodymium (Nd) and 76% Praseodymium (Pr) and HREE with up to 79% Dysprosium (Dy) and 80% Terbium (Tb), with a combined recovery of up to 77.7% of magnet metals NdPr+DyTb.
Recoveries were achieved by an acid bake leach using low-cost sulphuric acid (H2SO4), 200°C temperatures and low leach times (two hours).
QEMSCAN and metallurgical test results obtained to-date confirm the presence of both ammonium sulphate leachable ionically clay bonded REEs as well as the presence of weathering mobilised REE phosphate phases potentially rhabdophane (hydrated monazite) and churchite (hydrated xenotime) recovered by acid baking.
The implications of the diagnostic test results on project yield and economics will be assessed and incorporated appropriately into the initial JORC mineral resource estimation (MRE) which is rapidly progressing.
The MRE will now be reported in early July 2023 to allow for the incorporation of these further results.
Victory’s Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Brendan Clark said: “These results are outstanding and further demonstrate the excellent process mineralogy from Victory’s 100% owned North Stanmore rare earth element project in Western Australia.”
“North Stanmore is exhibiting all the important hallmarks of a significant rare earth element project which includes large scale, high metal recovery, high average grades, logistical and geopolitical advantages as well as market leading ratios of valuable and critical heavy rare earth elements including Dysprosium (Dy) and Terbium (Tb).”
“It is a very exciting time for the company with the rapidly advancing JORC Mineral Resource Estimate and for the commencement of the advanced metallurgical test work program that is set to produce our very own Mixed Rare earth carbonate (MREC) product.”
A further a major metallurgical test work program has commenced which includes flow sheet design to produce a MREC as the end product.
