Minerals

CONSULTANCY

Metallurgical testwork confirms costs saving for Angela Uranium Deposit

ANSTO has recently partnered with Marenica Energy Limited (Marenica) to evaluate strategies to reduce acid consumption (during leaching) for the Angela Uranium Deposit. 

Successful demonstration of the rejection of calcite using Marenica's U-prgrade™ technology at ANSTO resulted in: 
- Reduction of acid consumption from 104 to 24 kg/t, a difference of 80 kg/t
- Uranium extraction from the ore post calcite removal increased in comparison to the untreated ore from 95.8% compared to 93.0%

Read more about the program and results via Marenica's ASX announcement.

CONSULTANCY

Lithium Australia NL Granted US Patent for SiLeach® Technology

Lithium Australia NL has announced that it's US patent application for it's lithium extraction technology, SiLeach® has been approved. 

The SiLeach® process, developed in collaboration with ANSTO, is capable of recovering lithium as lithium phosphate from mica feedstocks. The process has been extensively piloted under continuous conditions at ANSTO. 

The ability to extract lithium from micas, which are commonly rejected as waste as part of spodumene processing and other operations, supports projects by improving resource utilisation and reducing costs. 

Importantly, the ability to produce lithium phosphate from these feeds using the SiLeach® process allows Lithium Australia to manufacture cathode powders for lithium ferro phosphate (LFP) batteries using the technology of the Company's wholly owned subsidary VSPC, which operates a pilot plant in Brisbane, Queensland.

Using the technology owned by VSPC, lithium phosphate from piloting at ANSTO has been converted into lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode powders displaying exceptional performance in comparison to existing LFP cathode materials.

CONSULTANCY

IX optimisation supports cost savings for Honeymoon project

Boss Resources Ltd. (Boss) has announced improved process economics for its Honeymoon Uranium Project in South Australia. ANSTO has been working with Boss for a number of years on their plans to restart Honeymoon. 

Recent optimisation test work on the ion exchange (IX) circuit of the process has identified the ability to remove heating during elution which positively impacts on the project economics. The IX process proposed for Honeymoon also uses a patented elution process developed at ANSTO.

ANSTO is continuing to work with Boss Resources on it's revised Feasibility Study for the Honeymoon restart.

PROJECT FUNDING

Success in CRC-P Round 8 funding

ANSTO is contributing to a number of critical minerals projects that will be funded under the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-Ps) Program – Round 8. Minerals' will be working with Lithium Australia NL on further development of the LiENa technology for conversion of waste spodumene, and with Australian Vanadium Ltd on high purity vanadium oxide production.

For further information on the projects, go to the Lithium Australia  NL and Australian Vanadium Ltd ASX announcements.