Zeotech (ASX:ZEO) has completed a ‘large-scale’ test pit at the Toondoon Kaolin Project, located 20km south out Mundubbera in Queensland, to advance mine planning and support direct shipping ore (DSO) ship loading trials.
The test pit produced more than 2,300 tonnes from grey, pink, and white kaolin resources across a seven-day campaign.
Zeotech plans for 60 tonnes of pink kaolin to be transported for ship loading trials at the Port of Bundaberg, scheduled for Q1 2026, to validate DSO logistics and evaluate the performance of the multi-use conveyor infrastructure.
The company has packaged 10 tonnes of grey and pink kaolin each into 1-tonne bulk bags to be used in process design work.
Additional kaolin will be stockpiled to conduct further milling and calcination trials. These trials intend to support the development and commercial-scale concrete testing for the company’s AusPozzTM product.
Zeotech says the campaign confirmed mining method assumptions, equipment sizing, and provided geotechnical data required ahead of mine planning and a Definitive Feasibility Study.
Meanwhile, Zeotech has completed cultural heritage and ecological surveys, which represent a crucial component of the DSO mining approvals process, at the Toondoon mine site. The company is currently waiting for reports relating to surveys to be drafted and progressed through to finalisation.
The company has completed a traffic impact assessment based on upgraded volumes of kaolin DSO as listed in the offtake agreement. The company has begun detailed design work for the intersection of Myola Road, which is council-controlled, and Mundubbera-Durong Road, which is state-controlled.
CEO James Marsh says the completion of this test pit, along with progress on approval surveys, indicates an “important milestone” for the project.
“These activities provide critical data to underpin accelerating mining approvals and support Zeotech’s strategy to fast track DSO mining operations while advancing the development of AusPozzTM,” Marsh says.
Designed to give pozzolanic reactivity when used with Portland Cement and Geopolymers, AusPozz™ is produced from Zeotech’s ‘high-purity’ Toondoon kaolin deposit in Queensland. It can reduce the carbon footprint of concrete and other cementitious products while providing a range of performance advantages.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Zeotech
