OD6 Metals (ASX:OD6) has commenced advanced metallurgical testwork at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation as part of the ongoing optimisation and scale-up of the preferred processing flowsheet for its Splinter Rock Rare Earth Project in Western Australia, which hosts a JORC mineral resource of 682Mt at 1,338ppm TREO.
The program, representing a company commitment of more than $1 million, builds on previously reported metallurgical successes and is focused on heap leach optimisation, impurity removal refinement and the bulk production of mixed rare earth carbonate and mixed rare earth hydroxide.
Product samples exceeding 1kg will be generated to support customer qualification, offtake discussions and assessment of commercial payability, while the testwork will also monitor other elements of interest for potential recovery.