Commerce Produces High-Grade Rare Earth Mineral Concentrate (36% REO) at Strong Recovery in Flotation Locked-Cycle Testing
Commerce Resources Corp. has successfully completed flotation locked-cycle testing on the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit, achieving high-grade rare earth mineral concentrates of 35.8% to 36.8% REO with 65% to 68% overall recovery. The results significantly outperform the historical 10% REO concentrate grade from the 2012 PEA. The improved grades will be incorporated into a pending PEA update scheduled for Q2-2025. The higher-grade concentrate is expected to reduce downstream processing costs, plant size, and overall project risk. Variability and pilot plant testing are planned for early 2025, along with evaluation of fluorite recovery from tailings.
Commerce Resources Corp. ha completato con successo il collaudo in ciclo chiuso per flottazione sul deposito di terre rare e fluorite di Ashram, raggiungendo concentrazioni minerali di terre rare di alta qualità comprese tra 35,8% e 36,8% REO con un recupero complessivo del 65% al 68%. I risultati superano significativamente il grado storico del 10% di REO dal PEA del 2012. I gradi migliorati saranno incorporati in un aggiornamento del PEA in attesa, programmato per il secondo trimestre del 2025. Si prevede che il concentrato di alta qualità ridurrà i costi di lavorazione a valle, le dimensioni dell'impianto e il rischio complessivo del progetto. Sono previsti test di variabilità e pilota per l'inizio del 2025, insieme alla valutazione del recupero di fluorite dai fanghi.
Commerce Resources Corp. ha completado con éxito las pruebas de ciclo de flotación cerrado en el depósito de tierras raras y fluorita de Ashram, logrando concentrados minerales de tierras raras de alta ley de 35.8% a 36.8% REO con un recupero global del 65% al 68%. Los resultados superan significativamente el grado histórico de 10% de REO del PEA de 2012. Los grados mejorados se incluirán en una actualización del PEA pendiente programada para el segundo trimestre de 2025. Se espera que el concentrado de mayor ley reduzca los costos de procesamiento a monte, el tamaño de la planta y el riesgo general del proyecto. Se planean pruebas de variabilidad y piloto para principios de 2025, junto con la evaluación de la recuperación de fluorita de los relaves.
Commerce Resources Corp.는 Ashram 희토류 및 플루오르스파 deposit에 대한 플로테이션 잠금 사이클 테스트를 성공적으로 완료하여 35.8%에서 36.8% REO의 고급 희토류 광물 농축을 달성하고 65%에서 68%의 전반적인 회수율을 기록했습니다. 이 결과는 2012년 PEA에서 10% REO 농축도의 역사적 수치를 크게 웃도는 성과입니다. 개선된 농축도는 2025년 2분기로 예정된 PEA 업데이트에 반영될 예정입니다. 고급 농축물은 하류 처리 비용, 공장 규모 및 프로젝트 전반에 걸쳐 위험을 줄일 것으로 예상됩니다. 가변성과 파일럿 플랜트 테스트는 2025년 초에 계획되어 있으며, 테일링으로부터 플루오라이트 회수 평가도 포함됩니다.
Commerce Resources Corp. a réussi à compléter le test de cycle fermé par flottation sur le dépôt de terres rares et de fluorite d'Ashram, obtenant des concentrés minéraux de terres rares de haute qualité de 35,8 % à 36,8 % REO avec un taux de récupération global de 65 % à 68 %. Les résultats dépassent de manière significative le taux de concentration historique de 10 % REO du PEA de 2012. Les grades améliorés seront intégrés dans une mise à jour du PEA prévue pour le deuxième trimestre 2025. Le concentré de haute qualité devrait réduire les coûts de traitement en aval, la taille de l'installation et le risque global du projet. Des tests de variabilité et de pilote sont prévus pour début 2025, ainsi qu'une évaluation de la récupération de fluorite à partir des résidus.
Commerce Resources Corp. hat erfolgreich Flotations-Blockzirkulationstests im Ashram-Vorkommen von Seltenen Erden und Fluorspath durchgeführt und dabei hochgradige seltene Erdenmineralkonzentrate von 35,8% bis 36,8% REO mit einer insgesamt 65% bis 68%igen Wiedergewinnung erzielt. Die Ergebnisse übertreffen die historische Konzentrationsqualität von 10% REO aus dem PEA von 2012 erheblich. Die verbesserten Gehalte sollen in ein bevorstehendes PEA-Update einfließen, das für das 2. Quartal 2025 geplant ist. Es wird erwartet, dass das hochwertigere Konzentrate die Kosten für die nachgelagerte Verarbeitung, die Anlagengröße und das Gesamtrisiko des Projekts senken. Variabilitäts- und Pilotanlagentests sind für Anfang 2025 geplant, ebenso wie die Bewertung der Fluorit-Rückgewinnung aus Rückständen.
- Achieved high-grade rare earth concentrate of 35.8-36.8% REO, significantly higher than historical 10% REO
- Strong recovery rates of 65-68%
- Higher concentrate grade will reduce downstream processing costs and plant size
- Project is unencumbered (royalty free) and wholly owned by the company
- None.
Highlights
Locked-cycle testing of the Ashram Deposit's flotation-only flowsheet has resulted in high-grade rare earth mineral concentrate at strong recovery.
36 to
37% REO1 at overall recoveries of 65 to68% .
Mineral concentrate grades compare favourably to historical and current hard rock global rare earth producers, of which
30% REO is the typical lowest grade concentrate produced.Results will be incorporated into a pending Preliminary Economic Assessment on the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit on schedule for Q2-2025.
Variability testing and pilot plant testing scheduled for the first half of 2025 as next steps.
Fluorite recovery from rare earth flotation tailings to be evaluated.
Ross Carroll, Director and CEO of the Company comments: "The results of the locked-cycle tests confirm the robustness of the simplified, flotation-only, continuous recovery process for the Ashram Deposit. The strong recoveries will ensure we maximize returns from the high-value in-situ mineralization, and the high-grade mineral concentrate produced will reduce the scale of the downstream processing resulting in lower capital and operating expense. We are thrilled with these outcomes and are grateful for the innovative attention to maximizing the potential of one of the world's largest rare earth resources by the technical team, many of whom have remained engaged with advancing the Project since its discovery over a decade ago."
Rare Earth Oxide ("REO") includes the sum of the lanthanides plus yttrium.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 14, 2024 / Commerce Resources Corp. (TSXV:CCE)(FSE:D7H0)(OTCQX:CMRZF) (the "Company" or "Commerce") is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed flotation locked-cycle testing on whole rock material from the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit (the "Ashram Deposit"). The Ashram Deposit is located central to the Eldor Property, is unencumbered (royalty free), is wholly owned by the Company, and one of the largest undeveloped rare earth deposits in the world.
The locked-cycle test ("LCT") program was completed on the Ashram Deposit's simplified flotation-only beneficiation flowsheet (see news release dated March 4, 2024) and has demonstrated improved grade and recovery compared to the prior bench-scale test program. Monazite dominate rare earth mineral concentrates grading 35.8 to
A locked-cycle test is an iterative laboratory-scale batch flotation test which recycles the tailings material between flotation stages to best simulate a continuous closed-circuit operating process plant. The test evaluates the influence of re-circulation on flotation recovery and is a laboratory test which provides more relevant data of anticipated commercial operation performance compared to a bench-scale test. The locked-cycle test also provides insight on potential buildup of reagents within a circuit and optimizes reagent dose rates. The locked-cycle test on Ashram whole rock was performed with nine (9) cycles using 1 kg of feed material stage-ground to
The LCT results (i.e., the high-grades of rare earth mineral concentrate) will be incorporated into a pending updated Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") on the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit, which remains on schedule for Q2-2025. The historical PEA completed in 2012 was based on a rare earth mineral concentrate grade of only
A higher-grade mineral concentrate has the benefit of resulting in a smaller downstream hydromet plant size, smaller footprint, reduced reagent consumption, reduced shipping requirements, simpler logistics, and reduced overall technical and project risk. Further, Ashram's flotation-only mineral processing flowsheet will permit an operator to leverage the size of the deposit and optimize mining for effective recovery into a high-grade monazite dominant concentrate in order to significantly simplify and thereby reduce Project mineral processing and downstream hydromet capital and operating expenditures.
Variability testing and pilot plant testing is scheduled for the first half of 2025 as next steps. Additionally, following the positive LCT results, which further confirm the robustness of the flotation-only beneficiation flowsheet, the Company has initiated a program to evaluate fluorite recovery from the rare earth mineral concentrate tailings. Fluorspar (or fluorine) is recognized as a critical/strategic mineral by Canada, Europe, Japan, and the United States, and is also a key input into lithium-ion batteries.
Figure 1: The flotation locked-cycle test flowsheet. Each cycle consisted of a rougher flotation stage, three (3) cleaner flotation stages, and a 1st cleaner-scavenger stage. The three streams shown in red were recirculated from one cycle to the next (e.g. the 3rd cleaner concentrate from cycle A was fed to the 2nd cleaner of Cycle B).
Figure 2: Flotation of Ashram whole rock sample material in a 2-litre Denver cell.
Figure 3: Combined final locked-cycle test high-grade (>
NI 43-101 Disclosure
Jordan Zampini, P.Eng., Process Manager - Montreal for DRA Americas Inc., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information, and verified the data, contained in this news release.
About The Ashram Deposit
The Ashram Deposit ranks as one of the largest REE deposits globally, consisting of a monazite-dominated, single mineralized body outcropping at surface, and has a footprint approximately 700 m along strike, over 300 m across, and 600 m deep, remaining open in several directions. Therefore, the deposit is envisioned to be an open-pit extraction operation at production, with a very low strip ratio. Coupled with a monazite rare earth mineralogy and strong NdPr distributions (>
About Commerce Resources Corp.
Commerce Resources Corp. is a junior mineral resource company focused on the development of the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit located within their Eldor Property, in northern Quebec, Canada. The Ashram Deposit is characterized by simple rare earth (monazite, bastnaesite, xenotime) and gangue (carbonates) mineralogy, a large tonnage resource at favourable grade, and has demonstrated the production of high-grade (more than 30 -
For more information, please visit the corporate website at www.commerceresources.com or email info@commerceresources.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
COMMERCE RESOURCES CORP.
"Ross Carroll"
Ross Carroll
President and Director
Tel: 604-484-2700
Email: rcarroll@commerceresources.com
Web: http://www.commerceresources.com
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements, which includes any information about activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Forward-looking statements in this news release include that the results of the locked-cycle testing will be incorporated into a pending Preliminary Economic Assessment on the Ashram Project scheduled for Q2 of 2025; that variability testing and pilot plant testing is scheduled for the first half of 2025; that the Ashram Deposit is envisioned to be an open-pit extraction operation; ; that Ashram has the potential to become one of the largest fluorspar deposit and a long-term supplier to the met-spar and acid-spar markets; that the Company is positioning to be one of the lowest cost rare earth element producers globally; and that the Company is exploring the potential of other high-value commodities on the Ashram Deposit such as niobium and phosphate minerals. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these events, activities or developments from coming to fruition include: that we may not be able to fully finance any additional exploration on the Ashram Deposit; that even if we are able raise capital, costs for exploration activities may increase such that we may not have sufficient funds to pay for such exploration or processing activities; the timing and content of any future work programs; geological interpretations based on drilling that may change with more detailed information; potential process methods and mineral recoveries assumptions based on limited test work and by comparison to what are considered analogous deposits that, with further test work, may not be comparable; testing of our process may not prove successful or samples derived from the Ashram Deposit may not all yield positive results, such as the possibility that future metallurgical variability testing is not guaranteed to confirm that the entirety of the deposit responds as has been demonstrated on the sample reported in this news release, and even if such tests are successful or initial sample results are positive, the economic and other outcomes may not be as expected; the availability of labour and equipment to undertake future exploration work and testing activities; geopolitical risks which may result in market and economic instability; and despite the current expected viability of the Ashram Deposit, conditions changing such that even if metals or minerals are discovered on the Ashram Deposit, the project may not be commercially viable; The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
SOURCE: Commerce Resources Corp.
View the original press release on accesswire.com
FAQ
What REO grade did Commerce Resources (CMRZF) achieve in its latest flotation testing?
When will Commerce Resources (CMRZF) complete its updated Preliminary Economic Assessment?
How does CMRZF's new concentrate grade compare to its historical results?
What are the next steps for Commerce Resources' (CMRZF) Ashram Deposit project?
