Pan Asia Metals (ASX:PAM) is planning to conduct additional testwork following recent metallurgical results that confirm and improve previous work at the Reung Kiet Lithium Project in Thailand.
The $37.26 million market capitalisation company says the testwork will be undertaken on various blends of weathered and fresh mineralisation, with ore sorting testwork also planned.
Pan Asia, which will be presenting on day one of the Noosa Mining Investor Conference held at Peppers Noosa Resort on 19-21 July 2023, believes this may result in better recoveries and a higher concentrate grade.
The company has also concluded drilling at Reung Kiet with the aim of increasing the existing mineral resource and upgrading parts of the mineral resource from the inferred to indicated category and possibly measured categories.
Pan Asia reports the material improvement in lithium oxide (Li2O) grade and recovery for concentrate derived from weather mineralisation demonstrated 71% Li2O recovery @ 3.11% Li2O.
This result surpassed previous results of 63% recovery @ 2.80% Li2O from previous work.
Meanwhile, lithium mica concentrate derived from fresh mineralisation demonstrated 76% Li2O recovery @ 3.10% Li2O, which reaffirms previous testwork results.
The testwork was conducted by Nagrom on 2 separate composites encompassing fresh and weathered mineralisation. Both fresh and weathered mineralisation are amenable to conventional crushing, grinding, and flotation using very similar flowsheets.
Commenting on the testwork results, Pan Asia Metals Managing Director Paul Lock says: “The purpose of Nagrom’s testwork was to verify BGRIMM’s results. We are pleased that this program reaffirms and, in some areas, improves upon previous results, which bodes well for the economics of the RK Project.
“With this confirmatory testwork completed, we can now progress on to post-ore sorting testwork and process refinement…”
With this confirmatory testwork completed, we can now progress on to post-ore sorting testwork and process refinement after which we are confident in achieving further improvements to recoveries and concentrate grades.”
The Reung Kiet Lithium Project is a hard rock lithium project, with lithium hosted in lepidolite/mica-rich pegmatites chiefly composed of quartz, albite, lepidolite and muscovite, with minor cassiterite and tantalite, alongside other accessory minerals.
Pan Asia’s objective has been to continue drilling with the aim of increasing and upgrading the existing mineral resource, which will then be used as part of a Prefeasibility Study (PFS).
Pan Asia Metals is a battery metals company with lithium projects located in South-East Asia located in Thailand.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
