Atomic Eagle (ASX:AEU) reports metallurgical testwork on its Muntanga East uranium deposit in Zambia has achieved uranium recoveries of up to 86% with low acid consumption.
Bottle roll and column leach tests were completed by Mintek in South Africa on composite samples from diamond drill core, with an average head grade of about 167 parts per million (ppm) triuranium octoxide (U3O8).
Bottle roll testing achieved recoveries of 86% and 82% after 25 days of leaching, with acid consumption remaining at about 3 kilograms per tonne throughout the test period.
Uranium dissolution was effectively complete after about seven days, indicating rapid leaching kinetics.
Column-leach testing using 1m-high columns under conditions representative of heap-leach processing achieved recoveries of 81% for both composites.
Recovery profiles showed rapid extraction in the early stages, with dissolution curves flattening after about 15–20 days.
CEO Phil Hoskins says the project’s defining strength is its ability to achieve ‘high recoveries’ through simple heap-leach processing with low reagent consumption.
“This allows lower-grade uranium mineralisation to be mined and recovered economically,” Hoskins notes.
“This strong metallurgical performance has now been replicated by testwork on the newly discovered Muntanga East deposit.”
The material showed low fines content and minimal fines generation during leaching. Stacking assessments simulating a 6m heap height demonstrated favourable bulk density and porosity while maintaining hydraulic conductivity of about 4,396–4,537 litres per square metre per hour.
The testwork was undertaken on ‘lower-grade’ mineralisation than has historically been tested at several of the project’s other deposits, yet achieved recoveries in line with previous programs.
The results show the project’s heap leach metallurgy extends beyond the historical deposits.
The flagship Muntanga Uranium Project contains a mineral resource of 58.8 million pounds at 309ppm U3O8.
Atomic Eagle will incorporate the Muntanga East results into ongoing technical studies.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Atomic Eagle
