iTech Minerals (ASX:ITM) begins second round of metallurgical tests at Caralue Bluff

• iTech Minerals (ITM) commences its second stage of metallurgical trials at its Caralue Bluff rare earth elements (REE) project on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia
• This work aims to increase REE recoveries compared to the first stage, which tested the high-purity kaolin clays from the project using standardised leach conditions
• As part of the second stage of testing, iTech will also leach the beneficiated kaolin fraction, which has shown “significantly” increased REE grades
• The company says it expects to receive the results from the second stage of testing in the next four to six weeks
• Shares in iTech are down 6.5 per cent to 36 cents at 11:09 am AEDT

iTech Minerals (ITM) has commenced its second stage of metallurgical trials at its Caralue Bluff rare earth elements (REE) project on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia.

The second stage will aim to increase the REE recoveries compared to the first stage, which tested the high-purity kaolin clays from the project using standardised leach conditions.

As part of this second stage of work, iTech will leach the beneficiated kaolin fraction, which has shown “significantly” increased REE grades.

“Clay-hosted REE projects typically have complex metallurgy, and it normally takes several iterations of test work to ‘crack the code’ for good recoveries,” Managing Director Mike Schwarz said.

“Having a high purity kaolin as the host to REE mineralisation at Caralue Bluff allows iTech to explore a range of metallurgical techniques to recover the REEs into solution while keeping impurities at low levels.”

The company said it expected to receive the results from the second stage of testing in the next four to six weeks.

iTech developed its revised leaching program in consultation with ANSTO after receiving the results from the first stage of diagnostic metallurgical test work at Caralue Bluff.

The aim of the first round was to test the REE recovery using standardised leach conditions in the high-purity kaolin clays at Caralue Bluff.

Maximum recoveries of magnet REEs from the testwork included 28 per cent neodymium, 31 per cent praseodymium, 65 per cent dysprosium and 57 per cent terbium.

Shares in iTech were down 6.5 per cent to 36 cents at 11:09 am AEDT.