Cobra Resources (LSE:COBR) has demonstrated that up to 90% of cerium is eligible to be removed from the aqueous solution ahead of mixed rare earth carbonate precipitation from its Boland In Situ Recovery Project in South Australia’s Gawler Craton region.
The company has collaborated with the Australian Nuclear Scientific Technology Organisation (ANSTO) to conduct preliminary testing to target cerium removal with negligible loss of heavy rare earths.
Tests yielded 66% heavy rare earth oxide from a 55kg sample, reducing total rare earth oxides from 33.4% to 4.7%.
Cobra says no “valuable” rare earth elements are lost when removing 41% of cerium and treated with moderate reagent. The quantity of removed cerium increases as reagents are added.
Managing Director Rupert Verco says the first-pass results represent the company’s ability to produce a customer-oriented product that simplifies the treatment process and is able to capture “more of the upside”.
“For projects to be market resilient and self-supporting, they need unique and distinguishing features that set them apart from peers,” Verco says.
“Cobra has successfully demonstrated considerable acid generation from Boland’s mineralisation and is now optimising a cost-effective process to maximise the value of heavy rare earths produced.
“Cobra owns a unique, scalable asset and is developing the metal recovery process to deliver an optimal heavy rare earth product from a low-cost mining method using a simple flowsheet.”
The company is a critical minerals explorer focused on discovering assets in South Australia to aid the global transition towards clean energy.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Cobra Resources
