Kingsland Minerals Ltd (ASX:KNG), an exploration company focused on developing the Leliyn Graphite Project in the Northern Territory, has announced the commencement of test work to evaluate the potential for extracting rutile and gallium as by-products from its Leliyn graphitic schist deposit. The company’s primary focus is exploring and developing the Leliyn Graphite Project in the Northern Territory. Leliyn is one of Australia’s most significant graphite deposits.
Assaying of drilling and graphite metallurgical samples has revealed elevated levels of both rutile and gallium. Significant drilling results include 285m @ 23.7 ppm Ga₂O₃ and 285m @ 0.42% TiO₂ in hole LEDD_08. Metallurgical samples have averaged up to 0.61% TiO₂ and 25.5 ppm Ga₂O₃. The current test work, being conducted by CSIRO and Independent Metallurgical Operations (IMO) of Perth, aims to determine the viability of concentrating and extracting these minerals during graphite concentrate production.
Kingsland’s Managing Director, Richard Maddocks, noted the high prices and strong demand for gallium and rutile, highlighting the potential for substantial additional revenue from these critical metals. He emphasised that while the Leliyn graphite concentrate scoping study is progressing well and expected to be completed this quarter, rutile and gallium production will not be considered within this initial study.
Exploration Targets for rutile and gallium have been estimated based on existing drilling data. The company believes it is well-positioned to capitalise on the increasing global push to reduce reliance on China for specialty metals, including graphite and gallium. The price of gallium is currently around USD 1,044/kg (AUD 1,600/kg), while rutile is valued at approximately USD 1,635/t (AUD 2,500/t).
