Salazar Scandium Beneficiation Testwork Underway
Key points
- Salazar scandium project in WA has potential for a simpler processing pathway
- Initial testwork shows preferential concentration of scandium in fine fraction
- Ongoing testwork aims to upgrade scandium and reduce iron content
- Aircore drilling scheduled to test higher-grade scandium zones and extensions
Full summary
West Cobar Metals Limited (ASX: WC1) is conducting a significant front-end beneficiation testing program at the Salazar Critical Minerals Project in Western Australia, focused on scandium. The program, carried out by ALS, aims to identify physical separation methods to upgrade scandium and reduce iron content in the ore before leaching, which could improve the economics of the process. Initial size-fraction analysis indicates that the fine fraction of the sample contains a higher concentration of scandium relative to iron, suggesting potential for effective beneficiation. The program includes magnetic and gravity separation tests, mineralogical characterization, and aircore drilling to further explore higher-grade scandium zones and extensions of known mineralisation.
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