Northern Minerals’ Testwork Shows Browns Can Deliver High Value Mixed Rare Earth Oxide

Northern Minerals has demonstrated its Browns Range heavy rare earth element (HREE) project in northern Western Australia is capable of producing a high value 92% mixed rare earth oxide.

The test work to date has confirmed the ability to produce a high grade mineral concentrate from the Browns Range xenotime mineralisation, which can then be relatively simply refined into a high purity mixed rare earth oxide dominated by yittrium (61%) and dysprosium (11%).

Significantly, this increases the market potential and value for the Browns Range product, as mixed rare earth oxide is more amenable to the production processes of potential offtake partners.

The positive hydrometallurgical results have now further de-risked the project and opened the door to a significantly larger and higher value market for the Browns heavy rare earth product.

First production of mixed rare earth oxide is targeted for 2016 with a $58 million funding package in place supporting the pathway to production.

Hydrometallurgical flowsheet

The hydrometallurgical flowsheet includes conventional unit processes of sulphation bake, water leaching, impurity removal, oxalate precipitation and calcination to produce the high purity mixed rare earth oxide.

Following the results from earlier testing, Northern Minerals engaged Tenova Mining and Minerals to develop and manage a detailed hydrometallurgical test work program.

The first stage of this program has now been completed with the confirmation test work undertaken at both ALS and Nagrom laboratories in Perth.

The key results from the program are:

- Extraction efficiency in the acid bake and water leach step exceeded 85%;
- The precipitation efficiency of the oxalate precipitation step exceeded 99%;
- The product purity of the final calcined exceeded the target of 92% TREO in the mixed rare earth oxide; and
- Heavy rare earths dominate the mixed rare earth oxide.

Scoping Study

Northern Minerals also recently commissioned a Scoping Study for a hydrometallurgical process plant to treat 10,000 tonnes per annum of Browns Range mineral concentrate containing 30% TREO.

The study was based on the hydrometallurgical flowsheet and locating the process plant at the Browns Range site.

The estimated capital cost for this facility is A$40 million (±35%) and the operating cost is estimated at A$4.40 per kilogram of mineral concentrate feed.

Additionally, Northern Minerals has commissioned an economic and environmental location study to investigate potential locations for the hydrometallurgical plant in Australia.

Northern Minerals has already begun the optimisation phase of the test work program, which will test key variables for each stage of the process to determine the optimal operating criteria.

The company recently signed a memorandum of understanding for offtake with an international partner.

The MoU allows for supply of product as either a 30% TREO mineral concentrate or a 92% mixed rare earth oxide.

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