NexGen Reports Positive Metallurgical Results for the Arrow Deposit

NexGen Energy (TSX:NXE) has announced it has received positive preliminary metallurgical results for the Arrow Deposit, located on the company’s 100 percent owned Rook I property in the Athabasca Basin.
As quoted in the press release:

Highlights:
• Leaching tests yielded high uranium recoveries exceeding 98%, and were obtained with mild acid conditions (pH 1.1 to 1.5) and modest acid consumption in a short time period (8 hours or less).
• The Arrow Deposit composite head sample returned 4.41% U3O8 with very low deleterious metal content of 0.011% arsenic and 0.005% selenium.
• Gold and silver assayed 0.8 g/t and 29.5 g/t, respectively.
• Important parameters from the composite head sample include <0.01% inorganic carbon indicating no carbonate, and sulphide content of 0.46%, which is low compared to other high grade resources in Saskatchewan.
• Results of the solvent extraction and uranium precipitation tests using conventional methods indicated very high recoveries and minimal uranium losses to solvent extraction raffinate and to barren solution.
• High purity yellowcake product was produced by stripping pregnant solution with ammonium sulfateammonium hydroxide solution. Activated carbon treatment was successful in reducing the molybdenum impurity to an acceptable concentration.
• Tails settling rates increased with the use of a flocculant called Magnafloc 351, which is widely used in the counter-current decantation circuits of uranium mines in Saskatchewan.
• A medium level of energy is required to crush and grind the composite sample with a work index of 16.5 kwh/tonne, and a reasonable grind size of P100 = 300 micrometers optimized uranium liberation.

Leigh Curyer, CEO, said:

These positive preliminary results demonstrate another highly favourable technical aspect of Arrow and will be incorporated into our development studies that have been conducted throughout 2016 and will continue to work on in 2017. These studies include environmental, geotechnical, metallurgical and site characterization which will form the basis of, and culminate in, the publication of the maiden pre-feasibility study on the Arrow Deposit scheduled in H2 2017.

Click here to read the full press release.