hrltesting completes production of Scandium Oxide for Metallica. View the announcement here or read the summary below:
Metallica Minerals Limited (ASX: MLM) has announced a significant milestone in its NORNICO “Tri-metal” Project in North Queensland, Australia. The company has successfully completed its first pilot-scale metallurgical testwork, producing high-purity scandium oxide (Sc₂O₃) with a purity of 99.99%. This achievement underscores the project’s potential to become a leading supplier of scandium, nickel, and cobalt.
Pilot Plant Testwork Overview
The metallurgical testwork, conducted over a period of five to six months starting in February 2012, was divided into two primary stages:
- High Pressure Acid Leaching (HPAL): This stage involved extracting scandium, nickel, and cobalt from NORNICO laterite ore types. The process was carried out at SGS Lakefield Oretest in Perth, where 4,400 kg of ore, grading 276 g/t scandium, 0.36% nickel, and 0.07% cobalt, underwent HPAL. This resulted in the production of 15,000 litres of pregnant leach solution (PLS).
- Scandium Extraction and Refining: The PLS was then transported to Brisbane, where a purpose-built pilot plant facilitated the extraction and purification of scandium. Utilizing solvent extraction techniques, the process achieved an overall scandium recovery rate of approximately 85%, culminating in the production of 1 kilogram of scandium oxide with 99.99% purity.
Implications for the NORNICO Project
The successful pilot plant operations validate Metallica’s proprietary metallurgical flowsheet and technology for scandium extraction and purification. This positions the company at the forefront of scandium production, with the potential to supply high-purity scandium oxide to industries such as aerospace, automotive, and energy.
The NORNICO project, encompassing the Greenvale, Lucknow, and Kokomo deposits, is poised to produce significant quantities of nickel, cobalt, and scandium. The project’s scalability allows for initial scandium oxide production of 40,000 kg per annum, with the flexibility to increase output to over 100,000 kg annually by processing higher-grade material.
Market Potential and Next Steps
Scandium oxide, prized for its applications in enhancing the properties of aluminum alloys and in solid oxide fuel cells, commands a market price ranging between US$3,000 and US$8,000 per kilogram, depending on purity levels. Metallica Minerals is actively engaging with potential offtake partners to secure agreements that will underpin the project’s commercial viability.
The company is also in the process of filing patent applications to protect its proprietary scandium extraction and refining technology. These developments not only enhance Metallica’s competitive advantage but also contribute to the broader advancement of scandium utilization in various high-tech industries.
Conclusion
The successful production of high-purity scandium oxide at the pilot plant scale marks a pivotal advancement for Metallica Minerals’ NORNICO project. This achievement demonstrates the effectiveness of the company’s innovative extraction and refining processes, paving the way for large-scale production. As the project progresses toward commercial realization, Metallica Minerals is well-positioned to meet the growing demand for scandium and its associated applications in cutting-edge technologies.
