MRG Metals: Testwork On Koko Massava Material Delivers Sizeable Upgrade In Ilmenite Product

Summary

• MRG Metals has completed metallurgical testwork on a 100kg bulk sample of mineralised material from the Koko Massava Mineral Resource in Mozambique
• The Company produced a 47.1% TiO2 concentrate product from a small, initial 100 Kg sample and is confident that further optimisation may deliver ~ 50% from Koko Massava material.
• MRG Metals is focussed on the remainder of its exciting exploration portfolio in the HMS Projects and aims to identify high grades as well as greater valuable mineral assemblage.
• Promising future targets back Zulene as well as forthcoming drill programs remain in the pipeline at Nhacutse, Poiombo and Bungane Prospects

In April 2020, mineral explorer MRG Metals Limited (ASX:MRQ) unveiled the delivery of the globally significant Koko Massava maiden Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 1.423 billion tonnes at 5.2% total heavy mineral (THM). Ever since the market has been keen on the Company’s accomplishments, reciprocating to this well-deserved attention, MRG Metals has been updating about significant project developments and continues to advance its Corridor Central and Corridor South HMS project portfolio.

In its latest update, MRG Metals advised that it has completed a metallurgical testwork on a bulk sample of mineralised material from the Koko Massava Mineral Resource.

ALSO READ: MRG Metals Provides Impressive Koko Massava Metallurgical Testwork Update

Results & Significance Of Ilmenite Upgrade Test Work For Koko Massava

Taking cues from recent metallurgical testwork, the Company has affirmed that Koko Massava deposit demonstrates quality TiO2 product. Under reduced conditions, Ultra Low Temperature Roasting (ULTR) produced a quality upgraded Ilmenite product with 47.1% TiO2, 0.9% SiO2, 0.5% Al2O3, 0.1% Cr2O3 and <20ppm U+Th.

The metallurgical result supports Koko Massava’s maiden JORC Resource and establishes it as a globally significant HMS asset. Chairman Mr Andrew Van Der Zwan has tagged Koko Massava to be the Company’s “foundation asset.”

Besides, there is commercial potential for this Ilmenite product.

The resultant upgraded TiO2 Ilmenite product can possibly be used as a direct feedstock for sulphate pigment manufacture or as a feedstock for titanium slag manufacture. The Company also intimated that further upgrade potential to an Ilmenite product approaching 50% TiO2 exists with next step optimisation.

Another significant update pertaining to Ilmenite: MRG Metals has now discovered sands of much higher Ilmenite content relative to Titanomagnetite in other targets across its portfolio and remains confident that its hunt for enhanced in-ground value will be successful.

“We are also confident in the depth of products that our Mozambican portfolio could potentially deliver and in our ability to play an important role in addressing the ilmenite shortage predicted by many analysts over the coming year”- says Mr Andrew.

Metallurgical Test Work Details

IHC Robbins conducted the testwork in Brisbane. A bulk sample of ~ 100kg of archived (Perth, Western Australia) aircore samples were considered for the same. This sample is representative of the high grade mineralised zones of high valuable heavy mineral (VHM) from within the Koko Massava Mineral Resource.

Initial results for the metallurgical test work from Koko Massava suggested the resource material performed well to simple and standard heavy mineral sand processing techniques. Processing of the material included-

• Feed Preparation Process (FPP) to remove the oversize and slime material

The FPP demonstrated the material readily separated into slime (-45µm), oversize (+2mm) and sand (+45µm, -2mm) fractions. Tests of the slime material confirmed that the slimes settled easily using a conventional flocculent with a high proportion of underflow solids. A standard coagulant was used to improve the clarity of the overflow.

• Wet Concentration Process (WCP) to produce a heavy mineral concentrate (HMC)

The WCP was undertaken over numerous stages of wet shaking tables to produce a HMC. This HMC outflow comprised 83.0% heavy mineral with 22.6% TiO2 and 0.77% ZrO2. Overall recovery of rutile, leucoxene, altered ilmenite and ilmenite is calculated at 90.8%, 86.5%, 83.6% and 84.5%.

• Concentrate Upgrade Process (CUP) to produce various mineral products

The CUP utilised the HMC outflow produced from the wet concentration process and processed it via a Low Intensity Magnetic Separator (LIMS), Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separators (WHIMS) and wet shaking tables to produce the raw ilmenite and non-magnetic concentrate products.

The ilmenite concentrate is calculated to contain 37.1% TiO2, 2.0% SiO2, 2.1% Al2O3 and 2.9% Cr2O3. Additionally, a non-magnetic concentrate enriched in zircon (NonMagnetic Concentrate) was produced containing 77.9% heavy mineral, 13.6% TiO2, 18.5% ZrO2 and 2,088ppm U+Th.

Besides, a standard grade zircon, as well as rutile/HiTi products can possibly be produced from this non-magnetic concentrate. A titano-magnetite concentrate containing 14.8% TiO2, 80.5% Fe2O3 (56.3% Fe), 1.7% SiO2, 2.0% Al2O3 and 0.77% V2O5 was also developed. Recovery of ilmenite into the ilmenite concentrate is calculated at 91.1%.

Recovery of rutile and zircon into the non-magnetic concentrate is calculated at 86.3% and 81.2% respectively, and recovery of titano-magnetite is calculated at 89%.

Interestingly, the raw ilmenite derived from the CUP was subjected to electrostatic and magnetic separation to produce an ilmenite product. This stage successfully produced an ilmenite product comprising 43.5% TiO2, 54.3% Fe2O3, 1.1% SiO2, 0.9% Al2O3 and <10ppm U+Th and 1.4% Cr2O3. Ilmenite recovery into the product is calculated to be 98.4%.

MRQ is trading at $ 0.006 (AEST: 12:04pm) on 28 August 2020. The stock has delivered returns of 16.67 % in the past three months.

GOOD READ: MRG Metals Continues Exploration Across Corridor Project, Begins Field Preparation for Upcoming Drilling Campaign