Vital’s North Tardiff Testwork Results Exceed Expectations for Stage 2 REO Operations
8 June 2022
Highlights
Metallurgical testwork completed on mineralisation from Tardiff Zone 1 returns grades of up to 39.9% total rare earth oxides (TREO) after three beneficiation stages with an exceptionally low mass pull to the final concentrate of 3.3%.
Flotation concentrate grades as high as 42.9% TREO were achieved.
The TREO recovery after each of the beneficiation steps (sorting, gravity and flotation concentration) were 91.7%, 81.4% and 66% TREO respectively for an overall recovery of 53.7% TREO, 51.4% Nd2O3.
A range of grade recovery curves were achieved with a high grade 39.9% TREO @ 66% recovery concentrate (predominantly light rare earth bastnaesite) to undergo hydrometallurgical testwork together with a lower grade 20% TREO concentrate at ~ 76% recovery (light + heavy rare earth mineralisation)
Results highlight Vital’s ability to process Tardiff mineralisation through a similar process flowsheet as Vital is using for the North T deposit at Nechalacho.
Vital aims to develop the larger Tardiff deposit as part of Stage 2 operations at Nechalacho.
A three-stage strategy aims to transform Vital into the world’s first rare earths producer capable of producing commercial quantities of both heavy and light rare earths
Further testwork is underway to determine if separate light and heavy rare earth concentrates can be generated from Tardiff Zone 1.
