Venture believes the inclusion of tin-rich borates into the current underground feasibility studies could deliver a major economic benefit. Pic via Getty Images
Mining
Advanced metallurgical test work with Curtin University will focus on including tin-rich borates into the current underground feasibility studies at the flagship Mount Lindsay project in Tasmania.
Recent study work identified the potential for additional, large-scale quantities of tin and high value boron throughout the greater Mount Lindsay skarn system.
Not previously assessed in mining studies at the project, Venture believes the tin-boron zones could enhance the project’s overall economics.
This new program with Curtin will investigate the extraction of tin, boron, and iron from tin-iron borates, potentially increasing the tin recovery and producing a high value boron by-product resulting in another revenue stream for Venture Minerals (ASX:VMS) at Mount Lindsay.
Curtin University is the first of Australia’s Trailblazer universities to receive a share of more than $242 million in federal government funding to develop a research commercialisation hub.
At VMS’ Mount Lindsay project, the two parties will look to develop a processing flowsheet in the coming months for recovering tin, boron, and iron from the tailings circuit.
Mount Lindsay is already one of the largest undeveloped tin projects in the world, containing in excess of 80,000 tonnes of tin metal.
The resource base at Mount Lindsay is hosted within two magnetite rich skarns (Main Skarn and the No.2 Skarn) which extend over a total strike of 2.8 km and remain open at depth.
The project sits between the world class Renison Bell tin mine and the Savage River magnetite mine, with excellent access to existing infrastructure including hydropower, wind power, water, sealed roads, rail and port facilities.
Included in the European Commission’s Critical Raw Materials Act, borate is vital to the green energy transition through its use in solar panels and electric vehicles, where up to 50kg of boron material is required.
Australia doesn’t currently produce boron and relies on supply from large producers such as Turkey, which comes with its own disruption and risks relating to political instability.
Venture hopes to play a part in filling that supply gap.
VMS managing director Andrew Radonjic says the explorer looks forward to working with Curtin University as it looks to unlock the potential the of tin-rich borates at Mount Lindsay.
“The results from the Curtin testwork will be fed back into the Mount Lindsay Underground Feasibility Study so the that the mine design can be re-optimised to deliver the final outcomes that could make Mount Lindsay a significant producer of Critical Minerals for the global market,” he said.
Following initial testwork by CSIRO, which returned results suggesting the recovery of tin from the borates was commercially possible, Venture hopes to deliver a major economic benefit to the study.
The company looks forward to delivering results from this testwork within the coming months.
This article was developed in collaboration with Venture Minerals, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.
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