Identifies Potential For Upgrading Of Wicheeda Rare Earth Element Feed
Defense Metals Corp. (TSXV: DEFN) has received positive results of an X-Ray Transmission amenability study completed on samples of Wicheeda Rare Earth Element (REE) mineralised drill core in British Columbia.
The Wicheeda project has indicated mineral resources of 4,890,000 tonnes averaging 3.02% LREO (Light Rare Earth Elements) and inferred mineral resources of 12,100,000 tonnes averaging 2.90% LREO.
Highlights of the XRT amenability study completed by SRC on samples of high-grade REE mineralised Wicheeda diamond drill core include:
- X-ray transmission measurements and QEMSCAN confirmed that XRT technology can identify Wicheeda REE minerals in drill core samples.
- Crushingto-15mm size particles and using a 5% REE mineral lower cut-off in the sorting algorithm, demonstrated the potential of low-cost front end XRT sorting to upgrade 2.3x from approximately 11% REE mineral content to 25% REE mineral content.
- Upgrading of Wicheeda REE mineralisation via XRTsorting has the potential to significantly reduce feed volume forwarded to downstream the hydrometallurgical process.
“Defense Metals is excited to establish the amenability of Wicheeda REE mineralisation to the application of low-cost front end upgrading via sensor-based sorting technologies,” CEO, Craig Taylor, said.
“We know from our very successful flotation pilot plant and bench-scale hydrometallurgical test-work that early volume reduction and upgrading has significant downstream benefits.
“The quality of concentrate we can deliver to flotation process has direct benefits in terms of process recovery, and reduced costs related to reagent reduction.
“Based on the success of this amenability test work SRC have recommended proceeding to a series of confirmatory XRT sorting optimisation tests.”
The 1,708 hectare Wicheeda REE Property, located approximately 80 km northeast of the city of Prince George, British Columbia, is readily accessible by all-weather gravel roads and is nearby to infrastructure, including power transmission lines, the CN railway and major highways.
Geologically, the property is situated in the Foreland Belt and within the Rocky Mountain Trench, a major continental geologic feature. The Foreland Belt contains part of a large alkaline igneous province, stretching from the Canadian Cordillera to the southwestern United States, which includes several carbonatite and alkaline intrusive complexes hosting the Aley (niobium), Rock Canyon (REE), and Wicheeda (REE) deposits.
