Peak Resources Announces “Breakthrough” in Beneficiation at Ngualla Project

Peak Resources Ltd. (ASX:PEK) announced that it has successfully produced a mineral concentrate grading 34.4-percent rare earth oxide (REO) using a beneficiation process specifically developed for its Ngualla rare earth project. That’s more than double the prefeasibility study concentrate grade of 16.3-percent REO.

Highlights include:

• The results represent a 6.9 times upgrade on the feed grade and has been achieved with a flotation only process.
• Increased mass rejection from ore feed to mineral concentrate: The mineral concentrate at PFS comprised 21% of the ore feed mass. The new concentrate is 7.6% of the ore feed mass (or 92.4% mass rejection).
• This is expected to result in smaller leach tanks and lower acid consumption, potentially leading to reduced capital and operating costs.
• Importantly, the amount of iron in the high grade (34.4% REO) mineral concentrate has been reduced to a quarter of that at PFS. Iron oxide minerals are the main consumers of acid in the leach recovery stage. The mineral concentrate in the PFS contained 29.0% of the total iron from the ore feed whereas in the iron content of the new mineral concentrate has been reduced to 6.2% of the feed total. The improved iron rejection is expected to further reduce sulphuric acid consumption in the leaching of the mineral concentrate.

Click here to read the full Peak Resources Ltd. (ASX:PEK) press release.