LSE-listed NeoTerra says a gallium pre-concentration pathway has been identified through the use of X-ray transmission (XRT) technology at its Monte Muambe critical minerals project, in northwestern Mozambique.

The company reports that the initial metallurgy testing using acid route delivered 85% in gallium extraction, with these results supporting further work to develop a gallium recovery flowsheet.

Further, NeoTerra emphasises that the results of the XRT testing show that XRT technology successfully allows the identification and separation of feldspar, which carries gallium and represents about 30% of the rock mass, from other minerals, thereby providing a pathway for gallium pre-concentration.

“The fact that these successful initial gallium metallurgy results confirm a possible route for gallium pre-concentration and extraction at Monte Muambe is very exciting.

“After publishing one of the first carbonatite-hosted gallium resources in May, we have now received a strong affirmation of the existence of potential recovery pathways, which clearly justifies continuing work on the gallium component of the Monte Muambe project.

“The planned work will continue in parallel with the US-funded rare earths programme and the fluorspar mine development, with possible synergies between the different workstreams but without affecting the respective timelines,” comments NeoTerra CEO Cedric Simonet.

He says further metallurgical work will be required to confirm the potential viability of gallium recovery at Monte Muambe, adding that these clearly validate NeoTerra’s assumptions regarding possible pre-concentration and extraction options.

The company plans to advance the gallium metallurgy workstream to a point where it has sufficient confidence in a viable recovery process.

Once this is achieved, NeoTerra intends to carry out a drilling campaign aimed at substantially increasing the current resource estimate of 11.73-million tonnes at 54.7g/t in gallium oxide, to define a resource of 50-million tonnes or more, an objective supported by the documented extent of gallium soil anomalies.