Malawi’s Department of Mines has granted DY6 Metals (ASX:DY6) a licence for its Tundulu Project in the south of the country, coinciding with the start of initial metallurgical testwork.
The company has engaged Perth-based consulting metallurgists Met Chem Consulting for initial metallurgical evaluation to review historical testwork programs and assess the findings from a 2017 report.
Testwork will focus on confirming the beneficiation results achieved by previous testwork. Upon completion, a structured program designed to optimise key grinding and floatation reagent parameters will be conducted to maximise the grade and recovery of rare earths and phosphate host minerals.
DY6 says conducting testwork at this early stage enables the company to discover the preliminary viability of producing two product streams. The product streams include a rare earths commercially saleable concentrate and a mixed phosphate concentrate containing rare earths.
Met Chem has also prepared a scope of work and will submit it to various Perth-based laboratories, with the aim to begin the testwork in the second half of 2024.
Based on the scope of initial testwork, the anticipated sample will weigh roughly 120kg and be prepared from representative samples of rare earth carbonatite and high phosphate apatite, which will be collected from a historic open trench on Nathace Hill. The samples will be prepared in Malawi before being shipped to Perth.
The testwork will run in parallel with other key development workstreams, including a comprehensive litho-geochemical sampling program to unlock the potential of Tundulu.
Tundulu is a known carbonatite complex in southern Malawi considered prospective for rare earths and niobium.
DY6 notes rare earth mineralisation remains open towards southern and western directions of Nathace Hill and potentially extends beyond the boundaries of the previously established mineralised area over Tundulu Hill.
DY6 will be presenting at the upcoming Vertical Events 2024 Gold Coast Investment Showcase, being held on 19 and 20 June at the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa, Queensland.
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Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: DY6 Metals
