TG Metals’ simple processing produces high quality Burmeister lithium
Mining
Mining
Special Report: TG Metals’ metallurgical test work has confirmed simple processing’s all that is required to generate lithium concentrate from spodumene sourced from the Burmeister deposit.
The combination of ore sorting technology to increase the lithia head grade of 15-39% and reject 65-70% of the iron was combined with heavy liquid separation and dense media separation (HLS/DMS) to produce a high-grade, low impurity spodumene concentrate grading up to 6.31% Li2O.
That’s well above the 6% Li2O benchmark on which the commodity is priced.
Importantly for TG Metals (ASX:TG6), the results provide a strong base to underpin future engineering studies and confirmatory testwork.
Chief executive officer David Selfe said the results of the initial sighter metallurgical testwork were outstanding and supported its initial assumption that the simple mineralogy of Burmeister equated to simple processing.
“As we progress Burmeister, we aim to demonstrate a mineral resource conducive to open-pit mining and simple metallurgy, providing favourable economics for a spodumene lithium hard rock mining and processing operation,” he said.
“A combination of ore sorting and HLS technology is the preferred processing method, over other more complex mineral processing flowsheets to produce a course, quality spodumene concentrate.
“Flotation batch testwork is progressing on the combined fines and middlings size fractions of the crushed ore, and once complete, the company will have the basis of a preliminary flowsheet which is consistent with a low capital intensity approach.”
The Burmeister deposit sits within the company’s Lake Johnston project in WA north of Esperance, a region that could become the state’s next lithium mining district.
Its namesake greenstone belt contains lithium from hard rock sources in the form of spodumene-bearing pegmatites, something TG6 has found in abundance.
Last month, assays were received from 28 extensional and infill RC holes with drilling at the Jaegermeister prospect showing multiple intersections of spodumene bearing pegmatites with high Li2O grades and widths up to 14m.
A highlight result for Burmeister showed 8m at 1.92% Li2O from 106m, including 2m at 2.32% Li2O from 111m.
For context, anything above 1% is generally considered economic, with lithium grading above 2% Li2O rarely encountered.
The results provide plenty of confidence in the company’s exploration target of 15.6-20.1Mt at 0.97-1.19% Li2O.
TG6 is continuing metallurgical testing with the application of semi-continuous DMS and flotation technology.
It also expects to report results from magnetic separation and de-sliming with the flotation testwork results in November, along with final overall process recoveries, concentrate grades and proportionate process splits between DMS and flotation.
Other work includes conducting further flora and fauna surveys in November over the Burmeister deposit and adjacent areas to prepare for resource development as well as reconnaissance field work on regional tenements to assess the whole Lake Johnston project for further lithium pegmatites.
Additionally, the company has designed a smaller drill program to test Jaegermeister when ground conditions allow.
This article was developed in collaboration with TG Metals, 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.