Pan Asia Metals reports ‘exceptional’ results from Reung Kiet flotation testwork

Battery materials explorer and developer Pan Asia Metals (ASX: PAM) has reported strong results from metallurgical testwork and flotation of lithium mica concentrates on ‘ore-sort’ products derived from the Reung Kiet (RK) lithium prospect in Thailand.

The tests were conducted on three composite samples comprised of fresh mineralisation taken from similar testwork on HQ core (63mm diameter) from one of the drillholes at RK.

The “exceptional” results demonstrated that relatively-high recoveries of lithium to concentrate are achievable utilising the products of ore sorting and industry-standard methods for comminution and beneficiation.

Testing lab Nagrom achieved up to 87% lithium recoveries using an ore sort feed grade of 0.92% lithium oxide, as well as 3.6% lithium oxide concentrate grades within an optimum mining scenario.

Feed grades remained above 0.78% lithium oxide for Pan Asia’s modelled mining scenario which incorporates 20% waste material as dilution to produce a 3.0% lithium oxide concentrate with 78% lithium recoveries.

High lithium recoveries

Managing director Paul Lock said the testwork confirmed the Reung Kiet project had the potential to achieve high lithium recoveries and lithium oxide concentrate grades.

“We will be processing a materially higher-grade ore than what was reflected in the RK mineral resource and this could equate to a considerable reduction in capital and operating costs on a per tonne lithium carbonate equivalent basis,” he said.

“This means we will require less beneficiation capacity (equating to lower capital expenditure) and be processing less product (lower operating expenditure) which will make our operation as competitive as the best lepidolite-based LCE processors in China.”

Additional testwork has been planned on various blends of weathered and fresh mineralisation while ore sorting testwork will be carried out on the weathered component.

Mr Lock said the work may result in better recoveries and even higher concentrate grades.

Hard rock project

Reung Kiet is a hard rock lithium project where the lithium is hosted in lepidolite or mica-rich pegmatites chiefly composed of quartz, albite, lepidolite and muscovite, with minor cassiterite, tantalite and other accessory minerals.

Previous open pit mining into the early 1970s extracted tin from the weathered pegmatites.

Pan Asia aims to increase and upgrade the existing mineral resource at RK and incorporate the results into a pre-feasibility study which will consider options to determine the project’s technical and economic viability including its LCE production profile.

Peer group studies indicate that lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide projects using lepidolite as their plant feedstock have the potential to be placed near the bottom of the cost curve.

Lepidolite has also been demonstrated to have a lower carbon emission intensity than other lithium sources.

Hilix field program

Pan Asia today announced it had commenced a field program at the Hilix prospect within the Tama Atacama lithium project in Chile.

The company is targeting an area of about 6 square kilometres, with previous sampling in and near the block returning historical values of up to 1210 parts per million lithium.

Previous drilling over 1sqkm returned an average thickness in the mineralised zone of 16.6m at 1003ppm lithium.

Pan Asia has collected 30 samples from inside or immediately adjacent to the Hilix concession area as part of the current program.

Most of the samples represent outcrop of the targeted clay layer or float samples interpreted to be immediately above the clay layer, while some were collected from historic trenches which exposed the clay layer.

The company has also collected a 9 kilogram bulk sample which will be used for preliminary metallurgical evaluation regarding lithium extraction methods and the production of compounds from the lithium-clay mineralisation.

Exploration pathway

Mr Lock said the company would likely adopt a “cheap and quick” exploration pathway at Hilix as it moves towards an inaugural mineral resource due for release later this year.

“The grades, nature of mineralisation and geography set Hilix up to be a relatively easy project to evaluate and potentially develop,” he said.

Pan Asia is in discussions with drilling contractors and expects to start a campaign at Hilix in September.

General observations suggest the mineralisation is homogeneous in nature and laterally extensive, and amenable to a wide-spaced drill pattern.