PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Rare earths developer Peak Resources has produced refined rare earth products from a pilot plant at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation for assessment by target customers.

Peak, which was developing the Ngualla rare earths project in Tanzania, said on Wednesday that the successful production of a separated rare earth oxide from a bulk sample of mineralisation, placed Ngualla among a select few projects to have achieved this milestone.

“The successful production of these products of such high quality is an achievement very few other companies have made, and we are hopeful they will exceed the expectations of any future offtake customers,” said Peak chairperson Alistair Hunter.

He noted that the work was well within the required specifications, and demonstrated Peak’s commitment to drive the development of the Ngualla project forward.

Peak noted that three separated rare earth oxide samples would likely also be produced at the pilot plant over the coming months, while a high-purity didymium oxide product is scheduled in June, to be followed by a lanthanum oxide product, and finally a cerium oxide product.

Meanwhile, the company noted that the Ngualla project’s prefeasibility study was assessing the potential benefits of locating the beneficiation and acid leach recovery process at the Ngualla mine site, and the solvent extraction separation plant off-site, closer to infrastructure.

Peak noted that the purity of the carbonate and the absence of radioactive elements indicated that no special permits would be required for the handling and transportation of this intermediate product from Ngualla to the separation plant.

The Ngualla project has a resource estimate of 21.6-million tons, grading 4.54% rare earths, to contain some 982 000 t of contained rare-earth oxide. The project would deliver some 10 000 t/y of rare earth over a 25-year mine life, with first production expected in the first quarter of 2016.