St George Mining (ASX:SGQ) is aiming to optimise niobium and rare earth recoveries via flotation processing at the Araxá Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
The company is conducting metallurgical testwork using samples from historical drilling, under the technical co-venture with two Brazilian scientific agencies, EMBRAPII (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa e Inovação Industrial) and SENAI (Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial).
As part of a comprehensive metallurgical program, three large representative samples of mineralisation, each greater than 60kg, were selected for bench-scale testing. Each sample has a range of mineralisation from different lithological units across the project area.
The company says this ensures a reliable basis for process optimisation across the project.
St George, which has a market capitalisation of $48 million, says the studies aim to define flotation parameters and recovery rates, which will guide future strategies for potential mine development and the commercial production of niobium and rare earth products.
Executive Chairman John Prineas says the company is stoked to begin the first phase testwork to develop a flowsheet for the processing and production of commercial niobium and rare earths products from the Araxá Project.
“In the first phase of the testwork, we will assess the potential use of new technologies in traditional flotation circuits to maximise recoveries, reduce waste, and lower costs,” Prineas says.
The overall testwork program has been designed as a three-step process to provide progressive validation of the material’s quality and economic potential.
By following this approach, St George says the program aims to establish a clear pathway from raw material to market-ready products and valuable by-products, further supporting Araxá’s commercial viability and optimising resource utilisation.
Future testwork will focus on niobium production and advancing towards converting final niobium products. Any follow-up work will build upon initial testwork results to ensure that the concentrate meets required specifications for downstream applications.
St George will also investigate new technologies for refining and conversion. The refining process will optimise purity levels while the final production stage will evaluate different pathways for producing niobium products and potential by-products.
The company adds future testwork will also focus on the potential for commercial rare earth production from the by-product material generated in the niobium flotation process.
Prineas adds that the company has numerous work programs scheduled to begin in the coming weeks, including a maiden drilling program, geophysical surveys, geotechnical studies, and downstream processing studies, as well as a maiden resource estimate.
St George Mining is focused on developing critical mineral projects in Brazil and Western Australia.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: St George Mining
