Defense Metals Corp. (TSXV: DEFN | OTCQB: DFMTF | FSE: 35D) has announced the completion of its Phase II hydrometallurgical pilot plant test work for its wholly owned Wicheeda rare earth element (REE) project along with the commencement of pre-feasibility study (PFS) work.
Defense’ metallurgical consultant, John Goode, commented, “With the completion of the recent beneficiation testwork and hydrometallurgical testwork and pilot plant operations, we are now ready to provide our engineering consultants, with the metallurgical test data necessary for them to commence the design work that forms a critical part of the Wicheeda project pre-feasibility study.”
Phase II operations were performed by SGS Canada Inc. at Lakefield, Ontario and were completed on 3 May 2023, after processing 370kg of flotation concentrate produced in an earlier flotation pilot plant operation.
The results of the ten-day phase II pilot plant operation confirm the five-day phase I results achieving extraction of praseodymium and neodymium from the acid bake calcine of more than 90%.
Significantly, the mixed rare earth product generated by the phase II operation was markedly higher in purity than that of the first operation because of a change to oxalate precipitation. Based on the results of the pilot plants, Defense Metals believes it now has all metallurgical test data necessary to support the PFS.
The Wicheeda REE project is located approximately 80km northeast of the city of Prince George, British Columbia. The 4,262ha property is readily accessible by all-weather gravel roads and is near infrastructure.
The 2021 PEA contemplated an open pit mining operation with a 1.75:1 (waste: mill feed) strip ratio providing a 1.8Mtpa mill throughput producing an average of 25,423t of rare earth oxides (REO) annually over a 16-year mine life. Defense Metals intends to complete the PFS during H1-2024.
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