- 01PMET/KTS target cheaper Cs via simple flow.
- 02Phase 2: Shaakichiuwaanaan pollucite yields Cs selectivity.
- 03PoC on 0.5–1 t concentrate; capex/opex review.
PMET Resources (ASX: PMT) has demonstrated a compelling opportunity for a more simplified and selective processing pathway to output high-purity caesium-based chemical products with Phase 2 benchscale test work on pollucite concentrate from its Shaakichiuwaanaan lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) project in Canada.
Testing of a six-kilogram sample using proprietary flowsheet technology by Koch Technology Solutions (KTS) evaluated downstream pathways that could significantly streamline the process and lower the costs of making end products such as caesium formate and caesium carbonate.
The approach targeted simplification of an existing, more conventional caesium recovery methodology (which requires multiple stages to obtain the desired caesium product purity) by increasing selectivity for caesium and bypassing many of the impurity removal stages.
The results established the potential for a wide variety of caesium end-products to be delivered by the KTS process, demonstrating high selectivity for caesium and a much-reduced impurity profile.
Larger Concentrate Samples
PMET said the high selectivity for caesium using Shaakichiuwaanaan pollucite concentrate was a significant milestone, with further work required to validate the process through to marketable samples.
Advanced follow-up would include benchscale proof-of-concept testing for the processing of pollucite concentrate through to gram quantities of marketable caesium products, as well as an initial assessment of capital and operating expenditures.
PoC tests would utilise a bulk quantity (between 500kg and 1 tonne) of concentrate samples at larger diameters from PMET’s large-scale BerryPick program focused on the CV13 pegmatite at Shaakichiuwaanaan.
Larger-size pegmatite fragments are expected to allow for a more accurate assessment of recovery behaviour during a mining operation, as the samples are a better approximate for blasted run-of-mine material after crushing compared to drill core.
Shaakichiuwaanaan hosts the world’s largest in-situ pollucite-hosted caesium pegmatite mineral resource of 690,000 tonnes at 4.4% caesium monoxide (Indicated) and 1.7 million tonnes at 2.4% (Inferred).
Global Caesium Market
Mineral deposits of pollucite-hosted caesium are a rare occurrence globally and represent the most fractionated component of LCT pegmatite systems, which are effectively the only known primary economic source of caesium supply.
The market for caesium compounds and metals is niche and largely opaque because it is not publicly traded like copper or gold, but rather through private bi-lateral and term contracts.
Product prices also vary depending on the contained caesium form, purity, and end-product use.
As an example, ≥99% caesium carbonate currently trades at an indicative spot price of around US$250/kg.
With caesium supply currently constrained, PMET believes a discovery of the size, grade, and scale of Shaakichiuwaanaan has the potential to become a primary long-term source of supply for global markets.
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