Mount Ridley Mines (ASX:MRD) is turning its focus to separation and purification pathways after its wholly owned, patent-pending Selectro™ process recovered 95% of gallium from bauxite in a third-party test.
Australian Silica Quartz Group (ASX:ASQ) supplied the composite bauxite sample from 16 vacuum drill samples across four holes at the Athena and Ceres prospects within its Darling Range Bauxite Project in Western Australia.
The test achieved 94.9% gallium recovery from a head grade of 80 parts per million, alongside 91.9% aluminium recovery and 96.7% iron recovery in a single leach below 100°C. More than 90% of the silica remained in the residue, leaving a silica-rich residue instead of red mud.
Mount Ridley notes that Selectro™ offers a potential alternative to the Bayer process by recovering more of the value contained in the bauxite while leaving a cleaner residue.
The company also observed that gallium recovery closely tracked aluminium recovery, consistent with gallium sitting largely in gibbsite. Tuning the reagent chemistry for bauxite, Mount Ridley says, improved gallium recovery compared with previous test work on feed from the Grass Patch Project.
Primary gallium supply remains highly concentrated, with China producing about 99% globally. China’s export ban to the US is suspended until 27 November 2026, though licensing controls and military supply bans remain active.
Market analyst Yole Group forecasts the power gallium nitride device market will grow 35% annually to US$3.5 billion ($5 billion) by 2031.
Mount Ridley Managing Director Allister Caird says the latest gallium result “completes the bauxite picture and brings us full circle back to our focus on critical minerals.”
“This result builds on the strong recoveries achieved from our own critical minerals basket at Grass Patch and has prompted us to turn our immediate attention to separation and purification pathways for both bauxite and Grass Patch feeds,” Caird says.
Upcoming developments include results from a second bauxite test, additional third-party testing across other feedstocks, and the ongoing design and construction of a Selectro™ demonstration plant.
Mount Ridley Mines is a critical minerals explorer focused on the discovery and development of heavy rare earths, gallium, and scandium across its projects in WA.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Main image: Mount Ridley Mines
