Management noted that metallurgical testing of fresh granite has triggered a “breakthrough” leach result that creates the potential for large-tonnage extraction of rare earths found beneath the weathered zone. It added that coarsely-crushed granite – both weathered and fresh – boasts characteristics suitable for generating competitive capital and operating costs for mining and crushing at the project.
More broadly, the testwork at Sybella showed that different heap leach strategies for weathered and fresh granite can achieve strong outcomes. It includes extraction rates of up to 92 per cent from weathered granite for two elements playing a starring role in the burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) market – neodymium and praseodymium.
Results from the phase two campaign build on the company’s initial metallurgical testwork that identified an opportunity for simple and low-cost rare earths processing involving heap leach methods. It prompted Red Metal to launch an ongoing step-out drilling campaign through an 8km-by-3km area at Sybella.
More than 70 holes have been drilled to date.
Further metallurgical works are also ticking along, with Red Metal conducting impurity removal trials designed to produce a premium-mix rare earths carbonate product. Results from the tests are expected in the coming weeks.
Preparations for follow-on column leach testwork are also underway as the company looks to further improve rare earths recoveries, reduce acid consumption and lower contaminants in its processing methods at Sybella as a maiden resource estimate draws nearer.
Metallurgical processing is a crucial component of any mining operation, especially for rare earths projects where highly-complex metallurgy can often play a detrimental role in economic feasibility.
But Red Metal appears to be standing on the podium in its efforts to move Sybella towards production, with its testwork so far hinting that the project is well on its way to overcoming such metallurgical hurdles.
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