Ardea Resources Limited (ASX: ARL) has reported that an international patent application has been lodged for the Goongarrie Hub at the company’s Kalgoorlie nickel project (KNP). The patent application is covers a mineralized neutralizer (MN), to protect the company’s intellectual property.
The Goongarrie Hub is located 70km northwest from the world-renowned mining centre, the city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, along established road and rail infrastructure. Goongarrie is Ardea’s most advanced project within the broader KNP.
MN represents carbonate-bearing saprock, which occurs within and most commonly at the base of the nickel-cobalt laterite profile. It contains low-grade nickel-cobalt mineralization and Ardea will mine it as part of a conventional open pit mining operation.
Following mining, the target carbonate neutralizer is sourced from the MN by simple wet screen separation of magnesite-goethite-serpentine clay saprock, into its constituent serpentine-goethite clay and magnesite neutralizer oversize.
MN has the added benefits of contributing additional nickel-cobalt production from neutralizer, and replacing imported limestone as process neutralizer which represents a cost saving from reduced consumable import and reduced carbon emissions by not having to rely on a conventional calcium carbonate neutralizer and transporting this material to site.
Ardea has stated that MN is a significant research and development break through that is being incorporated into its updated KNP Goongarrie Hub mineral resource estimate and will also feature in an upcoming prefeasibility study ore reserve.
Ardea’s managing director and CEO, Andrew Penkethman said “The feasibility study for the Kalgoorlie nickel project – Goongarrie Hub is nearing completion and has included matching the metallurgy of the material types to the mineralized neutralizer circuit.”
He continued “For the mineralized neutralizer circuit, the separation of nickel-cobalt bearing serpentine-goethite clay from magnesite neutralizer by simple low-cost screening is a significant processing breakthrough.”
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