Perth-based exploration junior Alkane Exploration NL is on the point of proving up the marketability of product from its 100 per cent held Dubbo Zirconia project, located twenty kilometres south of Dubbo and 400 km north-west of Sydney.
Perth-based exploration junior Alkane Exploration NL is on the point of proving up the marketability of product from its 100 per cent held Dubbo Zirconia project, located twenty kilometres south of Dubbo and 400 km north-west of Sydney.
The project – worth an estimated $50 million annually – is centred on a large resource of rare earths, including the metals zirconium, hafnium, yttrium, niobium, tantalum and rare earth elements.
Over a number of years Alkane has developed a selective acid leach, solvent extraction process designed to produce initially from a 200,000 tonnes per annum operation.
This included production of 3650 tpa of zirconia, 1130 tpa of yttria-rare earth concentrates, and 600 tpa of tantalum-
niobium concentrate.
According to Alkane technical director Ian Chalmers, the resource is capable of supporting an operation measured in hundreds of years.
At the beginning of the year the company commenced a three-phase feasibility study, planned for completion by mid-2000, to determine the viability of the proposed conceptual development.
The feasibility study manager, Dema Pty Ltd, has reported that phase two is proceeding well with the recent completion of a two-stage test programme aimed at demonstrating separating of zirconium from the niobium/tantalum solutions by using solvent extraction and differential precipitation
techniques.
“The work has successfully identified a strip/precipitation route which appears to be technically feasible and overcomes previous concerns,” Mr Chalmers said.
“The test work was also successful in producing a crude zirconia product.
“The aim of the initial work was not to produce high quality product but to demonstrate a viable process and it is thought that additional process stages will achieve marketable product quality and recovery.
“The zirconium extraction process has been achieved under far more favourable conditions than those originally anticipated and this will result in lower consumption of chemicals with obvious economic benefits.”
A further programme of work has
commenced to demonstrate the removal of impurities from the zirconia product with a parallel programme conducted on the extraction of a yttrium-rare earth product using process steps which are consistent with the zirconium extraction process.
Following completion of the zirconia product refining and yttrium-rare earth extraction test work, a programme will be implemented to prove up the flow sheet on a larger scale and optimise process parameters.
This work will enable a more definitive financial analysis to be completed.
Mr Chalmers said base line environmental work has commenced and discussions with potential product consumers and project financiers have also been initiated.
Last year the company reported that a pre-feasibility analysis of the potential economics of the project showed a likely annual revenue of about $50 million.
The project – worth an estimated $50 million annually – is centred on a large resource of rare earths, including the metals zirconium, hafnium, yttrium, niobium, tantalum and rare earth elements.
Over a number of years Alkane has developed a selective acid leach, solvent extraction process designed to produce initially from a 200,000 tonnes per annum operation.
This included production of 3650 tpa of zirconia, 1130 tpa of yttria-rare earth concentrates, and 600 tpa of tantalum-
niobium concentrate.
According to Alkane technical director Ian Chalmers, the resource is capable of supporting an operation measured in hundreds of years.
At the beginning of the year the company commenced a three-phase feasibility study, planned for completion by mid-2000, to determine the viability of the proposed conceptual development.
The feasibility study manager, Dema Pty Ltd, has reported that phase two is proceeding well with the recent completion of a two-stage test programme aimed at demonstrating separating of zirconium from the niobium/tantalum solutions by using solvent extraction and differential precipitation
techniques.
“The work has successfully identified a strip/precipitation route which appears to be technically feasible and overcomes previous concerns,” Mr Chalmers said.
“The test work was also successful in producing a crude zirconia product.
“The aim of the initial work was not to produce high quality product but to demonstrate a viable process and it is thought that additional process stages will achieve marketable product quality and recovery.
“The zirconium extraction process has been achieved under far more favourable conditions than those originally anticipated and this will result in lower consumption of chemicals with obvious economic benefits.”
A further programme of work has
commenced to demonstrate the removal of impurities from the zirconia product with a parallel programme conducted on the extraction of a yttrium-rare earth product using process steps which are consistent with the zirconium extraction process.
Following completion of the zirconia product refining and yttrium-rare earth extraction test work, a programme will be implemented to prove up the flow sheet on a larger scale and optimise process parameters.
This work will enable a more definitive financial analysis to be completed.
Mr Chalmers said base line environmental work has commenced and discussions with potential product consumers and project financiers have also been initiated.
Last year the company reported that a pre-feasibility analysis of the potential economics of the project showed a likely annual revenue of about $50 million.