Dual-listed Southern Palladium is pleased to release the results of initial metallurgical test work results at the Bengwenyama Platinum Group Metal (PGM) project, located on the Eastern Limb of the world class Bushveld Complex, South Africa.
Managing Director Johan Odendaal, said: “Significant progress has been achieved in understanding the metallurgy of the UG2 orebody. Preliminary testing suggests that ore from the UG2 Reef can be effectively treated with recoveries ranging from 80% to 85% through conventional methods that are used across the Bushveld Complex, and therefore aligning with industry. Metallurgical recoveries from the UG2 Reef at operations on the Eastern Limb range between 81% and 88%. We believe there should be strong commercial interest in sourcing concentrate of this quality from PGM smelters in South Africa.”
Metallurgical testing
The sample for test work was composited from a total mass of approximately 32kg (4E head grade obtained ~7.95g/t 4E), from various boreholes that intersected the UG2 reef of the Bengwenyama project. This sample was tested by Suntech Geomet Laboratories, an ISO/IEC compliant facility based in Johannesburg.
This test work has demonstrated that high PGM concentrate grades can be obtained at recoveries of over 80%. The testwork was a locked cycle test over six cycles. The graphed data is the final concentrate and the final residue PGM contained in each waste stream.
In addition to strong PGM recoveries, a marketable chromite concentrate can also be obtained. Initial mining at the Bengwenyama project will focus on the underground extraction of PGM’s from the high grade UG2 Chromitite Reef.
The current design for the planned process plant is based on a conventional MF2 flow sheet consisting or primary and secondary milling and flotation, with a processing route to obtain a flotation concentrate which contains a marketable content of 7E PGM. The typical grind size for Bushveld operations is 106 microns for the primary processes and 75 microns for the secondary.
A chrome concentrate will be produced using conventional spirals and sold separately. As more representative samples of the UG2 Reef becomes available, further test work will be undertaken to increase confidence in the process flowsheet and make improvements to both recovery and grade of the 7E PGM content from the UG2 reef.
Updated Resource and Scoping Study
The updated Scoping Study for the Bengwenyama PGM project is now well underway and is scheduled for release in January 2024. This study is being conducted concurrently with the Prefeasibility study and will showcase the project's key metrics, including net present value (NPV), cost estimation, and annual production figures. A new Mineral Resource update is also close to completion and will be finalised for release to the market at the earliest opportunity.
