{"id":32122,"date":"2023-07-04T11:50:39","date_gmt":"2023-07-04T10:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=32122"},"modified":"2023-07-04T11:51:03","modified_gmt":"2023-07-04T10:51:03","slug":"mineral-projects-revolutionise-earths-green-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/mineral-projects-revolutionise-earths-green-transition\/32122\/","title":{"rendered":"Mineral projects to revolutionise Earth’s green transition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Energy Transition Minerals Ltd\u2019s aim is to develop mineral projects to meet the growing need for critical minerals.<\/h2>\n

Energy Transition Minerals Ltd (formerly Greenland Minerals Limited) is an ASX-listed company, ASX:ETM. The company\u2019s aim is to develop mineral projects to meet the growing need for critical materials<\/a> vital to global decarbonisation and the accelerating transition to renewable energy systems.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s two current mineral projects, the Kvanefjeld rare earth project in southern Greenland and the Villasrubias lithium project in Spain, are aimed at meeting this increasing demand.<\/p>\n

The company has focused on the development of the 100%-owned Kvanefjeld project since 2007.\u00a0 Kvanefjeld is one of the world\u2019s largest and most important undeveloped projects<\/a> with the potential to be a significant world-class supplier of rare earths, in particular the group of \u2018magnet metals\u2019 (neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium) which hold the key to an energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable future.<\/p>\n

The Kvanefjeld project has an established (JORC 2012 compliant) mineral resource of more than one billion tonnes, within which is an ore reserve of 108 million tonnes, sufficient to sustain a 37-year mine life. The size of the resource and the rate of conversion of resources into reserves suggests that the project could operate for significantly longer than the initially planned 37 years.<\/p>\n

Kvanefjeld offers a new, simpler path to rare earth production<\/a> \u2013 conventional mineral flotation followed by an atmospheric leach and solvent extraction. The high temperatures and pressures required to treat the more common refractory ores are not required. This mineral project also has the benefit of producing saleable by-products, which will contribute to low production costs.<\/p>\n

Kvanefjeld provides an excellent opportunity to develop a large, stable source of rare earths that customers can rely on for long-term secure supply that will be independent of the traditional supply chain. The project, if developed, has the potential to deliver significant economic and social dividends to Greenland and its people and underpin the country\u2019s desire to achieve full independence from Denmark.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Kvanefjeld mineral project: History and status<\/h3>\n

The company has invested more than A$130m in accordance with Greenland\u2019s legislation and guidelines, creating a \u2018development ready\u2019 mineral project. The company has devoted significant resources to working with local communities and the government to ensure that the views of all stakeholders have been appropriately considered during the process of planning and development.<\/p>\n

The Kvanefjeld project is located on the northern Ilimaussaq Intrusive Complex in southern Greenland \u2013 a unique geological formation. After drilling over 60,000m of diamond core, the company has identified three mineral resources \u2013 Kvanefjeld, S\u00f8rensen, and Zone 3.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s development activities have focused on the Kvanefjeld resource.<\/p>\n

While it is clear the size of the mineral resource is globally significant, the project has a key advantage in the amenability of the host minerals to acid leaching at atmospheric pressure. The characteristics of the host minerals allow for efficient beneficiation, including the recovery of a saleable zinc concentrate, followed by a conventional acid leach at atmospheric pressure and solvent extraction to achieve high rare earth recoveries.<\/p>\n

By way of contrast, rare earths are more commonly hosted in refractory minerals, which require the application of temperature and\/or pressure (a process generally referred to as \u2018cracking\u2019) to liberate the rare earths. Cracking adds cost and technical complexity to any flowsheet.<\/p>\n

In the original project flowsheet, a small quantity of uranium is removed from the leach solution by solvent extraction, at which point it can either be precipitated into a saleable uranium concentrate product, or it can remain in solution and be deposited in the tailings storage facility as waste.<\/p>\n

This mineral project will additionally produce a zinc concentrate and fluorspar from the process water treatment plant. Fluorspar and zinc have ready markets globally.<\/p>\n

Optimisation test work completed in 2019, in co-operation with Shenghe Resources Holding Co Ltd, improved the rare earth recoveries, increasing the projected output of commercially important rare earths to:<\/p>\n