BBX Minerals confirms more PGM mineralisation at Três Estados

BBX Minerals (ASX: BBX) has received more assays from previous drill core at its Três Estados project in Brazil, with results confirming more platinum group metal mineralisation.

Três Estados has what BBX describes as a unique and complex-mineralisation style and to accurately assay drill core it has developed its own proprietary analysis and extraction techniques.

Using this proprietary method, analysis of drill core from reverse circulation hole TERC007 completed in 2017 has returned numerous platinum group metal mineralised intervals.

Highlight results were 2m at 0.3 grams per tonne palladium, 0.64g/t platinum, 0.37g/t iridium and 0.08g/t rhodium from 6m; 4m at 0.29g/t palladium, 1.09g/t platinum, 0.67g/t iridium, and 0.15g/t rhodium from 10m; and 2m at 0.21g/t palladium, 0.31g/t platinum, 0.15g/t iridium and 0.21g/t rhodium from 24m.

BBX chief executive officer Andre Douchane said the company was “very pleased” to see continuity of mineralisation in the holes it has analysed so far.

“If this continues, we should be able to being working on a JORC resource in another nine or 10 holes.”

Dedicated laboratory facility

To analyse its drill core from Três Estados, BBX established a dedicated laboratory in Catalão in Brazil’s state of Goiás.

The laboratory was commissioned in November last year and is able to assay for both gold and platinum group metals in one method.

Mr Douchane said a new AA (Atomic Adsorption Spectrometer) had been installed at the lab, which is crucial for BBX’s assaying efforts.

“ will be fully dedicated to BBX, whereas the currently installed equipment is shared by the other companies that utilise the lab,” Mr Douchane explained.

BBX expects its assay throughput rate to accelerate in the coming weeks, with the laboratory team also strengthened.

The company is evaluating all holes from its 2017 drilling program and from all holes completed during a campaign that ran from October 2020 and April 2021.

Mr Douchane anticipates the company will be releasing results from the other holes “on a regular basis”.

In addition to assaying drill core samples, BBX is also working on metallurgical pilot plant test work to develop a commercially viable extraction method for Três Estados ore.