OD6 Metals (ASX:OD6) is engaging with potential offtake partners for the Splinter Rock Rare Earth Project in Western Australia, after producing ‘high-quality’ mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC).
The company seeks partners to assess commercial payability options, while also expanding its network of potential high-value downstream customers across Asia, Europe, and North America.
This news comes after metallurgical testing was conducted by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, which enhanced processing efficiency and rare earth product quality at Splinter Rock.
As a result, MREC of 56% total rare earth oxide (TREO) was produced via a simplified and scalable heap leach and impurity removal process flowsheet.
OD6 adds that high-quality mixed rare earth hydroxide (MREH) of 59% TREO was also produced using the same process but using sodium hydroxide to precipitate the saleable product.
Managing Director Brett Hazelden says this is a milestone for the company and reinforces Splinter Rock’s potential to become a competitive and scalable producer of rare earth products.
“Our innovative processing pathway – using a combination of nanofiltration, ion exchange and impurity control – has enabled us to produce a high-quality, low-impurity MREC and MREH product that meets or exceeds global benchmarks,” Hazelden says.
“This opens the door to a wide range of potential offtake partners and is expected to result in favourable payability. We believe the ability to deliver a high-quality, magnet-rich mixed rare earth product from a low-cost leaching system gives us a unique strategic advantage.”
As a result of the testwork performed over the last nine months, OD6 has engaged CPC Engineering to conduct an Optioneering Study. The study will evaluate multiple technically viable flowsheets to enable the techno economic assessment of each flowsheet.
OD6 says the study – expected to be completed this quarter – will identify a preferred flowsheet based on cost, recovery, scalability, and product quality.
Heap leach and impurity removal testwork will also be scaled up by using twin holed diamond core material of the original six holes. The company says six drillholes will provide about one tonne of rare earth bearing material, which can be used to conduct multiple optimisation and validation tests findings from the current reported testwork.
This volume would also produce 1kg of MREC which will enable multiple samples to be produced for testing and offtake discussions.
Splinter Rock has an indicated resource of 119 million tonnes @ 1,632 parts per million (ppm) REO and an inferred resource of 563 million tonnes @ 1,275ppm TREO.
OD6 Metals is an Australian mineral explorer and developer focused on opportunities within the critical minerals sector, particularly rare earths and copper.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: OD6 Metals
