Vital Metals produces high-grade concentrate in first run at Saskatoon rare earths extraction plant
2022-07-11 14:17:01 [Print]
Canada's first rare earth producer Vital Metals Limited on July 8 reported results from the first feed of the dense media separation (DMS) unit at its Saskatoon rare earths extraction facility in Saskatchewan.
Results show the DMS plant sinks achieved comparable grades to those seen in testwork, with 43.7% total rare earth oxide (TREO) achieved from the DMS Cyclone at Saskatoon, compared to 44.6% TREO achieved in laboratory conditions at SGS.
The company's Saskatoon plant will have initial throughput capacity of 1,000 tonnes per year of rare earth oxide (REO) excluding cerium, which is equivalent to about 470t of NdPr per year.
The company will incrementally commission the remaining circuits of the process flow sheet over the coming months, with plans to produce a 2.5-tonne rare earth carbonate sample for offtake partner REEtec Ag as the next step of product qualification.
Results show the DMS plant sinks achieved comparable grades to those seen in testwork, with 43.7% total rare earth oxide (TREO) achieved from the DMS Cyclone at Saskatoon, compared to 44.6% TREO achieved in laboratory conditions at SGS.
The company's Saskatoon plant will have initial throughput capacity of 1,000 tonnes per year of rare earth oxide (REO) excluding cerium, which is equivalent to about 470t of NdPr per year.
The company will incrementally commission the remaining circuits of the process flow sheet over the coming months, with plans to produce a 2.5-tonne rare earth carbonate sample for offtake partner REEtec Ag as the next step of product qualification.
