The company said that the overall uranium and molybdenum recoveries should be little changed from values in the preliminary economic assessment (PEA), although the rate of uranium leaching may be slower.
Vanadium leaching from material roasted at larger scale than in earlier work returned vanadium extractions lower than that assumed for the PEA.
Al Hayden of EHA Engineering is working with Process Research personnel on the project.
According to the company, a reduction of 85% to 90% in reagent consumption in the alkaline leaching for uranium extraction, as indicated by recent testwork, will have a direct impact on the operating cost and hence the cost of production.
The final results from the metallurgical research will be incorporated into a pre-feasibility study and will be considered in the company’s decision to build a pilot plant.
