Latest news with #EverestMetals
West Australian
4 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Everest ticks off extraction study to start Aussie rubidium industry
Everest Metals and Edith Cowan University (ECU) have achieved 97 per cent rubidium extraction in a joint engineering scoping study for Everest's Mt Edon project in Western Australia. The study is a key step in Everest's plans to pioneer a new rubidium industry in Australia. Everest plans to inject Australia onto the world rubidium stage by unlocking the nation's entry into a new and valuable critical mineral processing industry. The engineering study was completed at ECU's Mineral Recovery Research Centre, which Everest asked to help develop an innovative rubidium extraction process. The direct extraction process aims to extract the critical mineral in a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner from ore mined at the company's Mt Edon critical mineral project in WA's Mid West region. Demand for the rare mineral used in high-tech industries, such as defence, aerospace and communications, is expected to lift significantly. Research by global market research company Market Research Future projects global market usage to grow from US$4.46 billion (A$6.91B) in 2023 to US$7.2B by 2032 using a compound annual growth rate of 5.48 per cent. The study achieved exceptional results from phase three beneficiation and leaching testwork, which produced the outstanding 97 per cent recovery rate for rubidium oxide from Mt Edon's primary ore. Everest has elected to lock in a standard patent to protect its new-age technology, having realised the effectiveness of its extraction process. It jumped on a provisional patent for the process earlier this year. The company says the results confirm the project's potential commercial and technical viability, based on its plans for a processing plant capable of producing 750-1000 tonnes per annum rubidium chloride. Further studies are required to nail down an optimised process. Management believes the project can prosper from broad geopolitical initiatives, such as United States President Donald Trump's April executive order calling for an investigation into the national security risks associated with its dependence on imported processed critical minerals. The executive order outlines an urgent need to develop transparent, secure and US-aligned supply chains for required critical minerals. Rubidium has many high-technology applications and is listed as one of 35 critical minerals by several countries, including the US and Japan. Everest sees the current price of rubidium carbonate, near US$1170 per kilogram, as providing the project with strong potential to develop into a profitable operation. Downstream applications are fuelling rapid growth with an increase in demand for rubidium salts. With the engineering study complete, Everest has work underway to increase the efficiency of its extraction technology and reduce costs. During testwork, data from samples indicated the beneficiation process enhanced rubidium liberation and therefore its availability for downstream extraction, removing gangue minerals. Beneficiation led to higher leaching efficiency and improved outcomes, resulting in the 97 per cent recovery levels. The innovative extraction method is part of a process involving mining, beneficiation to concentrate the rubidium-bearing minerals, followed by roasting-leaching-crystallisation to produce rubidium chloride. Further analysis is required to evaluate the technical and economic risks for scalability and operational stability. The company plans to run additional bench-scale and pilot-scale testwork to validate its process before building a full-scale plant. Everest has an agreement with the CSIRO to enhance its understanding of rubidium, caesium and lithium mineralogy. The increased knowledge of the critical minerals is expected to improve the company's processing methods and overall recovery rates. Everest applied to the Minerals Research Institute of WA for funding under its METS Innovation program. The application sought matched funding to support upcoming metallurgical and purification testwork. The company expects to receive word on its application this month. It is also exploring grant funding opportunities and potential future funding options through domestic and international critical mineral initiatives to help scale up to a pilot plant next year. Mt Edon is 420 kilometres northeast of Perth and 5km southwest of the State's former gold rush settlement of Paynes Find. The project has an inferred mineral resource of 3.6 million tonnes grading 0.22 per cent rubidium oxide and 0.07 per cent lithium oxide. Management says the resource contains a world-class component of 1.3Mt at 0.33 per cent rubidium oxide and 0.07 per cent lithium oxide. The high-grade zone contains 56 per cent of the total contained rubidium tonnes at Mt Edon, which has 7900t of the rare critical mineral. Everest says its initial resource is based on drilling along 400 metres of strike within a 1.2km-long pegmatite corridor on a 192.4-hectare granted mining lease. Drilling was conducted to a vertical depth of 140m below surface, with 61 reverse circulation drill holes plunged in over 2779m to determine the estimated resource. Everest holds a 51 per cent stake in Mt Edon with the potential to take over the entire operation in a joint venture farm-in agreement with private company Entelechy Resources. The company is aiming big: It is looking to develop a fledgling industry locally, supply a growing market globally, and support the nation's defence needs with a reliable rubidium supply. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
West Australian
27-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Everest spins drill bit in search for gold northeast of Southern Cross
Everest Metals has started spinning the drill bit at its Mt Dimer Taipan project in the hunt for further gold and silver at the site, 150 kilometres northwest of Kalgoorlie. The reverse circulation drilling program will test four high-priority targets identified through advanced satellite imagery and geochemical anomalies. Targets were defined from the integration of interpreted geochemical anomalies and alteration zones outlined by high-resolution satellite imagery. The company aims to expand the existing mineralisation at Mt Dimer Taipan, which remains open to the south and at depth, by combining historical data with advanced exploration methods. The project contains an existing mineral resource of 722,000 tonnes grading 2.1 grams per tonne (g/t) gold for 48,545 ounces. Management submitted a mining proposal and mine closure plan for the project last August to the Western Australian Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety and anticipates receiving approval within the next two months. Everest has completed extensive work on its mining proposal, including a geotechnical study, hydrogeological modelling, baseline environmental study and flora and fauna surveys. The department requested further information in January and Everest submitted updated proposal and closure plans on March 12. The company also applied for a 45-million-litres-per-annum groundwater licence and plans to drill a water borehole to a depth of 120m to support its upcoming activities and future mining operations at site. When the mining proposal is approved, Everest expects to launch into mining activities. Mt Dimer Taipan's mining proposal involves a cutback of the existing pit to extract ore laterally and from the pit's base. Everest plans to process the ore nearby. Given today's sky-high gold price, the company believes it has a terrific opportunity to charge into the task of turning Mt Dimer Taipan into a profitable mining operation, utilising a toll-treatment agreement with one of the nearby mills. Negotiations with nearby plant operators are ongoing. Everest completed a geochemical soil sampling program in 2021 to verify historical geochemical results, structures, shear zones and lithological contacts previously mapped by the Geological Survey of WA, which were interpreted from magnetic inferred structures. The program outlined three distinct geochemical anomalies in part of the company's ground, returning assay values up to 430 parts per billion (ppb) gold and 420 parts per million arsenic. Four anomalous zones with gold values exceeding 100ppb were identified and two are considered higher-priority targets for testing. Everest's recently processed satellite data identified iron oxide and alteration mineral signatures relevant to orogenic gold and banded-iron formation-style exploration. Analysis techniques were applied to identify hydrothermal alteration minerals linked to orogenic gold systems. An alteration mineral intensity map was generated, highlighting alteration zones in the central part of the licence area, with characteristics similar to those at Mt Dimer Taipan and nearby gold mining districts. Everest acquired Mt Dimer Taipan in 2020, along with an additional exploration tenement to the west of the project. A range of rotary air-blast drilling, reverse circulation and diamond drilling identified mineralisation at the project. Former owner Taipan Resources mined the project in the mid-1990s, hauling out 84,000t at about 4.61g/t for 5933 ounces of gold. Several small players later leached the stockpiles for gold and silver, with moderate success. With gold and silver prices remaining strong, Everest will be hoping for a mountain of positive news from this drilling program. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
West Australian
01-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Everest inks CSIRO Kick-Start agreement to study Mt Edon rubidium
Having inked an agreement with Australia's national science agency CSIRO, Everest Metals will use the agency's Kick-Start program to undertake advanced geochemical and mineralogical studies at its Mt Edon project. CSIRO's $50,000 Kick-Start Program voucher will support investigations into the suite of alkali-metals comprising lithium, rubidium and caesium whose mineral forms occur at elevated levels in Everest's Mt Edon project near Paynes Find in WA. The main focus of the studies will be on the nature and distribution of the three metals throughout the extensive Mt Edon pegmatite occurrences which will ultimately contribute to the understanding of lithium and rubidium and could improve recoveries of both metals. With caesium being one of the three elements in the triad of the lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) family, it is also a key indicator of 'pegmatite fertility' and a core focus of study. These indicators assist explorers in determining the likelihood of a pegmatite to carry potentially economic mineralisation which, until recently, have been referred to mostly in the context of the modern search for hard-rock lithium deposits which are usually hosted by pegmatites. LCT-style' pegmatites, while named for lithium, caesium, and tantalum, also relate to other metals like rubidium, beryllium, niobium, tin and sometimes even iron, manganese and rare earth elements. The collaborative study will also explore the correlation between rubidium and lithium in their various mineral phases. Overall, the venture aims to provide Everest with valid, data-based guidance towards identifying exploration areas of greatest potential for the metals. It may also enhance and streamline recoveries across a variety of metals via a single process with minimal additional flow-sheet modifications. Direct Rubidium Extraction (DRE) technology, initially developed for lithium, is now being explored for rubidium recovery. Roasting with alkali salts, followed by leaching, is also a common method for extracting both elements from certain mineral types. The specific processes and conditions for extracting lithium and rubidium more-or-less simultaneously may vary depending on the ore type and desired purity levels. Everest's estimated 9-month-long study program will benefit from the CSIRO's equipment and expertise and will begin as soon as possible, with Everest planning a campaign of representative sample collection this month. The research will include detailed laboratory analysis which will provide insights into relevant geochemical signatures and will also study rubidium's association with its fellow pathfinder elements such as lithium and caesium. Everest's Mt Edon project lies about 420km northeast of Perth and has a maiden estimated inferred mineral resource of 3.6 million tonnes grading 0.22 per cent rubidium oxide and 0.07 per cent lithium oxide. Application of a 0.10 per cent rubidium oxide cut-off grade shows the resource contains about 7920 tonnes of rubidium oxide. Increasing the cutoff grade to 0.25 per cent rubidium oxide yields 1.3Mt at 0.33 per cent rubidium oxide for 4290 tonnes of rubidium oxide, about 54 per cent of the total contained rubidium oxide. The maiden resource estimate at Mt Edon indicates a potential tier-1 deposit in both scale and grade. Importantly, at this stage, the resource is constrained within a strike distance of about 400m within a 1.2km-long LCT pegmatite corridor and to a vertical depth of about 140m below surface. Everest says multiple geological and geophysical targets have been identified throughout its project, with probable northwest and southwest extensions which further drilling is expected to enhance. The current resource is shallow, many of the pegmatites outcrop and the company believes the resource will prove mineable by open pit methods, with a probable low strip ratio. In February last year, Everest and Edith Cowan University (ECU) executed a research agreement to advance studies on the extraction of rubidium from Mt Edon ore, with research being conducted at ECU's mineral recovery research centre. The work involved a small-scale laboratory demonstration of the complete process for rubidium recovery via the DRE method, combined with studies including ion exchange to explore the potential commercialisation of Mt Edon's pegmatite-hosted ore. The process successfully yielded rubidium chloride as the primary product, which neatly sidestepped the need for additional processing. Last February, Everest submitted a provisional patent application to IP Australia for its proprietary rubidium extraction process using the Mt Edon feedstock. Rubidium is a critical raw material for various high-tech applications, including the development of new energy conversion technologies and new communication technologies. The element has important applications in a wide range of fields including military, aerospace, atomic clocks, communications and emerging energy forms of power generation. It also used in medicines, in specialist glass such as lasers and lenses and as an industrial catalyst to control or trigger chemical reactions. Global rubidium resources are relatively scarce, with most resources containing limited rubidium. The rubidium industry is expected to grow from US$4.46 billion ($A6.98B) in 2023 to US$7.2 (A$11.26B) by 2032. Once the CSIRO-supported research is complete, Everest expects to find the detailed scientific data valuable in providing it with fresh insights into the nature of its deposits and enable it to target the most prospective rubidium exploration areas at Mt Edon. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
News.com.au
01-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Break it Down: Everest joins forces with CSIRO
Stockhead's Break it Down brings you today's leading market news in under 90 seconds. Everest Metals (ASX:EMC)has locked in support from CSIRO for advanced rubidium, lithium and caesium studies at its Mt Edon project in Western Australia. Watch the video to learn more. While Everest Metals is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this content. Originally published as Break it Down: Everest joins forces with CSIRO
Herald Sun
01-05-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
Break it Down: Everest Metals
Don't miss out on the headlines from Stockhead. Followed categories will be added to My News. Stockhead's Break it Down brings you today's leading market news in under 90 seconds. Everest Metals (ASX:EMC)has locked in support from CSIRO for advanced rubidium, lithium and caesium studies at its Mt Edon project in Western Australia. Watch the video to learn more. While Everest Metals is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this content. Originally published as Break it Down: Everest joins forces with CSIRO
