Canada-listed rare earths miner Mkango Resources has appointed international mining and metallurgy specialist SNC-Lavalin to complete various aspects of the ongoing prefeasibility study at its Songwe Hill rare earths prospect in southern Malawi.
“SNC-Lavalin will complete various aspects of the prefeasibility study, including the beneficiation and hydrometallurgical process plants and project infrastructure,” says Mkango president Alexander Lemon.
Mkango, which is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, embarked on the prefeasibility study after exploratory drilling at the site revealed the deposit contained enough resources to sustain a 20-year mining life.
In July, Mkango Resources unveiled a metallurgical flowsheet that produced the first high-grade product from proof-of-concept testwork.
The process recovered sizeable quantities of both heavy and light rare earths, including lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium and yttrium.
The company is now proceeding 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,” says Lemon.
Malawi has a number of proven rare earths deposits, mostly in the south of the country, which are being evaluated by junior mining companies.