Black Canyon (ASX:BCA) expects to increase manganese recoveries upon conducting additional beneficiation testwork at the Wandanya Project in Western Australia.
The testwork on Wandanya composites improved overall recovery of manganese to 80% producing 45% manganese concentrate grade.
Black Canyon says importantly, the results still produce a “high-grade” manganese concentrate above the 44% manganese benchmark grade.
The metallurgical results have provided the company with confidence to the amenability of the project’s manganese discovery to simple beneficiation and an indication of potential manganese concentrate grades and recoveries. These parameters can be used in further testwork which will be core based as the company plans a diamond drilling program.
Further metallurgical programs including a mineralogical study will be conducted. The study will aim to further understand the characteristics of the Wandanya mineralisation.
Managing Director Brendan Cummins says the company is continuing to investigate the grade-recovery characteristics of the Wandanya manganese mineralisation.
“Pleasingly, the expected trends have been confirmed with the latest testwork results showing an uplift in overall recovery averaging 80% with only a modest decrease in overall manganese grade to 45% manganese,” Cummins says.
“From a mining operations perspective, an improvement in recovery is important because it generally ensures better utilisation of the orebody, potentially increasing product volume and extending mine life through more efficient processing.
“Currently, the Shanghai Metals Market is reporting a 44% manganese price of about US$5.10 per dry metric tonne unit which converts to US$224.4 per tonne.”
Cummins adds that this is why the results are “positive”, showing through early-stage testwork consistent grade recovery trends that are able to produce a potentially high dollar value, high-grade manganese product with attractive specifications.
As Mining.com.au previously reported, testwork results in February 2025 were substantially uplifted from composite feed grades of 21.2% and 41.5% manganese to concentrate grades well above the premium 44% oxide benchmark grade for moderate and higher-grade feed samples.
Meanwhile, exploration planning and access requirements are continuing to progress with scheduling of a heritage survey and phase two drilling being planned for this quarter.
The drilling program intends to further evaluate the stratabound manganese and iron targets at Wandanya.
Black Canyon is a mineral explorer that holds a land package totalling 1,700km2 in the underexplored Balfour Manganese Field and across the Oakover Basin in Western Australia.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Black Canyon
