Business
Defense Metals Receives Final Wicheeda REE Pilot Plant Report From SGS
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - Defense Metals Corp. ("Defense Metals") (TSX-V: DEFN) (OTCQB: DFMTF) (FSE: 35D) is pleased to announce it has received the
About this update from Defense Metals Corp.
[{"type":"text","content":" VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - Defense Metals Corp. (\"Defense Metals\") (TSX-V: DEFN) (OTCQB: DFMTF) (FSE: 35D) is pleased to announce it has received the final report from SGS Canada Inc. (\"SGS\") with respect to flotation pilot plant processing of its Wicheeda Rare Earth Element (REE) Property (\"Wicheeda\") bulk sample at the SGS Canada Inc. (\"SGS\") Lakefield, ON metallurgical test facility. The Wicheeda project has indicated mineral resources of 4,890,000 tonnes averaging 3.02% LREO (Light Rare Earth Elements) and inferred mineral resources of 12,100,000 tonnes averaging 2.90% LREO1. With respect to the results of the Wicheeda pilot plant, SGS stated: \"The recent Wicheeda flotation pilot plant at SGS Lakefield resoundingly achieved its primary goals to validate the laboratory flowsheet at pilot plant scale, to provide data for engineering design, and to generate high grade REO concentrate. Significant opportunities for improvement remain; including further investigation of the effects of reduced pulp temperature and reagent additions, which may provide opportunities for potential future process-cost savings...\" The goals of the flotation pilot plant program were to validate the flowsheet developed during previous test-work on this deposit in 2019 at pilot plant scale, to provide data for engineering design, and to generate high grade REO (Rare Earth Oxide) concentrate. The major findings of the flotation laboratory test work are summarized as follows: Average REO recovery was 77.3%, in concentrate grading 51.6% TREO (Total Rare Earth Oxide) with a mass pull of 7.0% from pilot runs PP14 to PP16C (the confirmatory stages of the pilot plant; Table 1). The major changes made in the pilot plant flowsheet compared with the benchmarking test work flowsheet were: removal of the 1st cleaner scavenger, removal of the 3rd cleaner, reduction of F220 dosage by ~46%, and reduction of sodium fluorosilicate dosage by ~40% with no significant impact on the flotation performance. The final flowsheet is presented in Figure 1. Metallurgical performance when conditioning at low temperature (70°C) was found to be comparable to that when conditioning at high temperature (80-85°C). Higher pulp density (high percent solids, ~30%) was beneficial for improving the flotation recovery and maintaining a good froth ...