Evolution of Project Development /

Piloting for Technology Metals at

ANSTO Minerals

Adrian Manis and Bob Ring

ANSTO Minerals

MRIWA Tech Talk

16th November, 2017, Perth

Adrian Manis (ama@ansto.gov.au)

Presentation Outline

• ANSTO Minerals timeline/background

• Process development/innovation areas:

• Uranium

• Rare Earths

• Lithium

Also: Ni, Co and V

4

Process

Development

Mineralogy /

Characterisation

Flowsheet

Development

Techno-Economic Analysis

Continuous

Piloting

Radioactivity

Management

Flowsheet Development

Extensive Experience & In-house Facilities

Preliminary Engineering Estimates

Continuous Piloting

High Purity

Product Preparation

1975 | 1995 | 2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2014 | 2017

Kintyre

(Canning/Rio)

Acid Leach

Direct U Precip

Mkuju River

(Mantra)

Acid leach

+ RIP

Ranger (ERA),

Olympic Dam

(WMC/BHP),

Narbarlek

(1982 – 2017)

Kayelekera

(Paladin)

Acid leach

/ RIP

Langer Heinrich

(Paladin)

Alkaline leach / IX

Site pilot

Honeymoon

(Boss)

IX Site Pilot

Trial

Letlhakane

(A-Cap)

Heap leach /

SX / IX pilot

ON-SITE

FLUIDISED BED IX

AND RESIN-IN-PULP

• Start-up in 1980, now nearing closure

• Flowsheet: Acid leach/CCDs/SX/ADU

• Mainly primary ore

• Stockpiles of weathered ore (laterite) from resource

• Good U grade in laterite

• Adverse impact on U extraction via preg-robbing when

laterite processed with primary ore

• Adverse settling, rheology characteristics

8

• Plant trials on primary/laterite blend resulted in U extraction

as low as 53% compared to 90 – 92% for primary ore at

typical pH (1.9)

• High acid consumption at low pH (1.0 – 1.5)

45% solids 2% solids

(kg/t) (%) (%)

1.9 19 74 89

A 1.5 36 85 -

1.0 103 90 -

1.9 12 70 79

B 1.5 23 78 -

1.0 53 81 -

Uranium ExtractionAcid

Consumption

Laterite

Ore

Type

Leach

pH

Data from: Collier et al, “Processing lateritic ores”, Uranium 2000, Canada

9

• RIL Data:

Ore

type

Ore Grade

(%U3O8)IX

Leach

pH

Uranium Extraction

(%)

A 0.456 no 1.9 73.8

yes 1.9 84.0

B 0.178 no 1.9 69.5

yes 1.9 71.2

B1 0.314 no 1.95 48.4

yes# 1.9 62.1

#5 vol . % res in was added in IX tests , except in this test where only 2.3% was added

10

• Leaching of size fractions

• Preg robbing from liquor at pH 1.95

Fraction Leach

(mm) pHSolids

based

Solution

based

-1000 + 600 1.95 85.0 64.0

-600 1.5 84.4 85.4

-1000 + 150 1.95 80.3 37.0

-150 1.5 80.0 77.8

-1000 + 75 1.95 72.6 32.2

-75 1.5 79.2 87.10.605

Extraction (%)

0.616

0.402

0.559

0.400

Head Grade

(%U3O8)

0.308

11

Trommel

To SX

To Tailings Neutralisation

pH 1.9 Leach

CCDs

Primary OreCrush & Mill

Laterite Ore

pH 1.5 Leach

< 1 mm

> 1 mm

H2SO4

H2SO4

• 83% extraction with revised plant trial set-up (~5% laterite)

• Southern Tanzania, hosted in Karoo sandstone

• Mantra Resources (now Uranium One / Rosatom)

2010 data:

• Measured + Indicated reserves: 30,000 t U3O8 @ 440 ppm

• LOM 12 y, US$25/lb U3O8, capex US$300m

• Project suspended 2017 (low U prices)

13

NF

RIP also

proposed

for Vimy

Uranium Eluate

1 M H2SO4 (Mkuju River Pilot)

Rig used at

ANSTO

Minerals

NF Options in Uranium

Elution/Stripping

• Acid leach flowsheets where NF is an option:

– IX: SB elution with 1 M H2SO4 (Kayelekera1, Mkuju River2,

Michelin3)

– SX: 4 M H2SO4 strip with Alamine (avoids lime) (Rabbit Lake4)

– Options for high chloride in PLS:

• SX: 4.5 M H2SO4 in loaded strip with DEPHA/Alamine

(proposed by ANSTO Minerals5)

• IX: 1 M NaCl elution (proposed by ANSTO Minerals6)

• Alkaline leach flowsheets where NF is an option:

– IX: NaHCO3 elution (Langer Heinrich1)

[1] Peacock et al, Paladin Nanofiltration for Reagent Recovery, ALTA U Conf., 2016; [2] Naidoo et al, Recovery of Acid from IX Eluate using Nanofiltration,

AATM Conf., 2015; [3] Goode and Brown, Michelin U project, Labrador Testwork, Uranium 2010 Conf.; [4] van Tonder and Edwards, Uranium SX strip

options, CIM Journal, 4(4), 2013; [5] Soldenhoff et al, ISEC 2005; [6] Wilson et al, Options for IX for Uranium from Saline Liquors, ALTA U Conf., 2011

Uranium: NaCl Strip (1 M NaCl)

• Weak base resin for non-

saline and saline leach

liquors (5-12 g/L Cl)

• At 72% permeate

recovery:

– 93% U recovery to

concentrate

– 58% NaCl recovery to

permeate

• Approach adopted and

piloted by Vimy Resources

Data from ANSTO: A. Wilson, M. Fainerman-Melnikova, and K. Soldenhoff, What are the options for an integrated IX process to

recover uranium from saline and hypersaline liquors?, ALTA 2011 Uranium Conference May 26-27 2011,

Perth, 2011, ALTA Metallurgical Services, Australia.

ANSTO

R&D

RE

processing

1989 | 1992 | 2007 | 2008 | 2010 | 2014 | 2016 | 2017

Mt Weld

(Ashton /

Lynas)

Pilot Plant

Dubbo Zirconia

(Alkane)

Demo Pilot Plant

(Zr/Nb/REs/Hf)

Nolans Bore

(Arafura)

Pilot Plant

Nolans Bore

(Arafura)

Demo Pilot

Plant

Brown’s

Range

(Northern)

Pilot Plant

Ngualla

(Peak)

Pilot Plant

Yangibana

(Hastings)

Pilot Plant

RE SX separations for Mt Weld (Ashton/Lynas), Nolans

Bore (Arafura), Ngualla (Peak) and others

• Xenotime (HRE deposit: Dy, Tb)

• Resource est: 57,000 t TREO

@ 0.63% TREO

• Acid bake process

• 60,000 tpa on site pilot

plant has commenced

21

Brown’s Range

Flowsheet

Impurity Removal – RE Losses

2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2016 | 2017

Lepidolite

pilot plant

(Lithium Aust)

Salar del

Rincon

(Sentient)

Mini-pilots

Spodumene

pilot plant

(Lithium Aust)

Salar del Rincon

(Sentient)

Demo Pilot Plant

at ANSTO

Salar del Rincon

(Sentient)

Site Demo Pilot

Plant

Hard Rock

Brines Brine

Lab

Work

Salar del Rincon (Li Brine)

• Argentina, about 4,000 m above sea level

• Planned 50,000 tpa lithium carbonate equivalent for 25 years

• Update: site demo plant in operation (from mid-2017)

• Innovative process (early move to raw brine processing)

• Novel approach to minimise reagent usage and hold-up

Salar del Ricon

Alternative Brine Process

• Salar de Rincon, Argentina (altitude)

• Enirgi Ltd 100%, 50 ktpa LCE, 25 y

• DFS issued 2016

• Demonstration plant 2017

• Site demo plant

from mid-2017

• Early move to raw brine

• Min. reagent usage

Alternative Processing

Lepidolite

• Simplified flowsheet

• Applicable to all micas

• Continuous piloting

• Indicated by-product: SOP

• Avoids roast / calcination

• LC to LH conversion

(battery grade)

Summary

• Technology development for technology metals

• Evolution of approach to meet new challenges and commodity

segments

• Standard flowsheets often require adjustment (technical issues,

polymetallic deposits)

• Reservoir of expertise and facilities to support a wide range of

challenges

Questions?