Mkango Resources Begins Hydrometallurgy Piloting for Songwe Hill Rare Earths Project

Mkango Resources Ltd. said it commenced the final phase of testing of a hydrometallurgical pilot plant at its Songwe Hill rare earths project in Malawi. The company said the testing was conducted at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) in Australia after an extensive process development and optimization phase.

The design and engineering studies by lead engineer SENET are nearing completion, and a feasibility study for Songwe is expected in the first quarter of next year, the company said. The target product will be a high-grade, purified blend of rare earth carbonates, which is expected to feed the development of Mkango's Pulawy separation plant in Poland, and its feasibility study is continuing.

Mkango said that the testing of the hydrometallurgical process is an integral part of the feasibility study and is a key step toward commercializing the Songwe project.

The feed to the hydrometallurgical pilot plant is a flotation concentrate from the successful flotation pilot program completed earlier this year. William Dawes, CEO of Mcango, said, "This is a significant milestone in the development of the Songwe project and further solidifies the Company's position as one of very few developers of advanced stage rare earth projects to meet accelerating growth in the electric vehicle industry, wind power and other economic decarbonization sectors."

Mkango's integrated 'mine, refine, recover' strategy is progressing on all fronts, including the development of sustainably produced light rare earths (NdPr) and heavy rare earths (Dy/Tb) from Malawi, the establishment of a rare earth separation and downstream center in Poland, a partnership with major Polish fertilizer and chemical company Grupa Azoty Pulawy, and the recovery of rare earth magnets (NdFeB) in the UK and Germany through our interest in HyProMag."

Mkango Resources Ltd. is a Canadian dual-listed mineral exploration and development company on the UK and Canadian stock exchanges. Mkango’s corporate strategy is to develop new sustainable primary and secondary sources of neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium to supply accelerating demand from electric vehicles, wind turbines, and other clean technologies. This integrated ‘mine, refine, recycle’ strategy differentiates Mkango from its peers, uniquely positioning Mkango in the rare earths sector.

Mkango is developing the Songwe Hill rare earths project in Malawi, with a Pre-feasibility Study completed in 2015 and a Feasibility Study underway. Malawi is known as “The Warm Heart of Africa”, a stable democracy with existing road, rail and power infrastructure, and new infrastructure developments underway.

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