PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The third pilot plant operation of ASX-listed Greenland Minerals and Energy’s Kvanefjeld beneficiation circuit has been successfully completed.
The pilot plant operation was conducted through the Eurare programme at laboratories in Finland, and was aimed at generating some 2 t of rare earth-rich material concentrate, which would act as feed for upcoming refinery and separation pilot plants.
The pilot plant processed 26 t of ore over a 100-hour period to produce the concentrate.
The refinery circuit pilot plant was scheduled to take place in Finland in September this year, and would generate a high-purity mixed rare-earth concentrate.
A May feasibility study into the Kvanefjeld project estimated that the project would require a capital investment of $1.36-billion, which would support an initial mine life of 37 years and would deliver multiple product streams, including 7 900 t/y critical mixed rare-earth oxide, 512 t/y uranium oxide, 4 300 t/y lanthanum oxide, 6 900 t/y cerium hydroxide, 15 000 t/y zinc concentrate and 17 000 t/y sodium hypochlorite solution.