Canada-listed Mkango Resources says independent studies have proved that its Songwe Hill rare earths prospect, in southern Malawi, has the potential to produce a high-grade mixed rare-earth carbonate or hydroxide product to recover sizeable quantities of heavy and light rare earths, including lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium and yttrium.
Says Mkango Resources president Alexander Lemon: “Songwe’s favourable mineralogy, comprising synchysite and apatite that is anomalously enriched in heavy rare earths, allows for a simple, low-temperature acid leaching process to achieve good recoveries.”
He explains that, in contrast to rare earths deposits containing monazite or xenotime, high capital or energy-intensive kilns will not be required in the proposed Songwe Hill processing flowsheet.
Mkango anticipates that the plant design will be modular, using plastics or composite materials for tanks and pipework.
Lemon says the company is now pro-ceeding with further optimisation and demonstration of the flowsheet before embarking on plant engineering studies.
“Alternative hydrometallurgical flowsheets are being evaluated in parallel to confirm that the current flowsheet represents the optimal base case and to evaluate different product options.”
Mkango Resources CEO William Dawes comments that the current results are a major milestone in the development of the Songwe Hill rare earths project.
He says: “The company is now well posi-tioned to further progress discussions with potential strategic investors, separation facilities and offtake partners. Mkango has delineated a significant indicated and inferred rare earths resource at Songwe and is spearheading development of a major world-class rare earths mineral province in Malawi.”