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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?
Recommended