Ark Mines Limited (ASX: AHK) has announced the commencement of a detailed metallurgical improvement program at its wholly-owned Sandy Mitchell Rare Earth and Heavy Minerals project in North Queensland. Specialist consultants IHC Mining will undertake the program, focusing on enhancing both the beneficiation and mineral separation processes. Initial efforts will concentrate on improved characterization and preparation of feed for beneficiation, leading to an optimized flowsheet design. The program will utilize a 2,225kg bulk sample from the 2024 drill program.
The results from IHC’s metallurgical analysis will be integrated into the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS), scheduled for completion in early 2026. The process flow sheet is designed to produce rare earth oxides, including magnet and critical rare earths, zircon with hafnium, titanium oxides, and garnet. The metallurgy program will be accompanied by the recommencement of drilling at Sandy Mitchell, targeting a significant expansion of the existing Measured resource.
Managing Director Ben Emery stated that the advanced metallurgy work is expected to strengthen the commercial development strategy for Sandy Mitchell, confirming the applicability of low-cost downstream processing to convert mineral sands into in-demand end-user products. The company anticipates providing updates on the results of the metallurgy work in the coming weeks.
The recommencement of drilling is supported by a recent $1.5 million placement to professional and sophisticated investors. The Measured Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) stands at 71.8 Mt @ 1,732.7 ppm Monazite Equivalent, including a high magnetic REO element proportion of 25% of the TREO basket.
