TG Metals (ASX:TG6) has received preliminary results from metallurgical testwork that underpins future engineering studies and confirmatory testwork at the Burmeister deposit in Western Australia.
The Lake Johnston Project hosts the Burmeister deposit which is in proximity to four lithium processing plants and undeveloped deposits.
As part of the testwork program, pre-conditioning of the ore feed using ore sorting technology achieved an increase in lithium head-grade of 15% to 39% and iron rejection of 65% to 70%.
TG Metals, which has a market capitalisation of $10.66 million, reports initial heavy liquid separation (HLS) testwork on the Burmeister lithium pegmatite supports the ability to produce a “high-grade”, low-impurity spodumene concentrate.
Further, dense media separation (DMS) spodumene concentrate results recorded grades up to 6.31% lithium oxide.
Following Wednesday’s (16 October) news, the company’s share price had increased 20% to $0.180 at 3.00pm AEDT.
CEO David Selfe says the initial testwork on the Burmeister pegmatites support the potential to achieve a 6% spodumene concentrate using HLS processing technology which adds weight to the company’s initial assumptions of “simple mineralogy equals simple processing.”
“As we progress Burmeister, we aim to demonstrate a mineral resource conducive to open-pit mining and simple metallurgy, providing favourable economics for a spodumene lithium hard-rock mining and processing operation.
“A combination of ore sorting and HLS technology is the preferred processing method, over other more complex mineral processing flowsheets to produce a coarse, quality spodumene concentrate.”
Selfe adds that flotation batch testwork is progressing on the combined fines and middlings size fractions of the crushed ore.
Once completed, TG Metals will have the basis of a preliminary flowsheet which is consistent with a low capital intensity approach.
Assays for the semi-continuous DMS testwork, magnetic separation, and de-sliming will be reported with the flotation testwork results in November.
The final overall process recoveries, concentrate grades, and proportionate process splits between DMS and flotation will be also released during this time.
In November, TG Metals plans to conduct further flora and fauna surveys over Burmeister and adjacent areas to prepare for resource development.
Meanwhile, reconnaissance fieldwork is continuing on regional tenements as weather conditions allow. The company aims to assess all of the Lake Johnston tenure for further lithium pegmatites.
Drilling remains suspended at Lake Johnston at present due to wet ground conditions. A review of the site’s conditions and drill areas is ongoing.
The company notes that while the priority area for Burmeister’s infill drilling is the southern section, it is likely earlier access will become available on the western side of the Jaegermeister prospect to test the potential thickening of pegmatites.
To this end, a smaller drilling program has been designed for Jaegermeister and will be deployed once conditions allow.
TG Metals is a lithium, nickel, and gold explorer that wholly owns the Lake Johnston Project.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: TG Metals
