McLaren Minerals (ASX:MML) has confirmed the viability of its slimes management strategy for its titanium project. The company said test work supports its slimes strategy as the optimal choice, aligning with conventional mineral sands practices. McLaren Minerals is an Australian exploration company focused on developing its titanium project in the Eucla Basin of Western Australia, aiming to produce titanium for aerospace, defence, and energy technologies.
According to McLaren, water conditioning using low-grade gypsum has yielded the best results in settling and water clarity during the thickening process. Metallurgical tests, conducted by IHC Mining and SciDev (ASX:SDV), demonstrated that the project’s slimes—fine clay-like byproducts of mineral processing—can be effectively thickened to approximately 26% solids. These thickened slimes can then be dewatered and co-disposed alongside coarse tailings.
McLaren intends to progress with a Prefeasibility Study design. Further testing will be conducted on-site water conditions, processing bulk samples for marketing and flow sheet validation, and inspecting the longevity of the plant. Managing Director Simon Finnis stated that the outcomes from the metallurgical test work program provide confidence in the prospectivity of implementing a slimes management strategy.
Finnis added that the company has now independently validated the assumptions behind its slimes strategy. He said that even with a high slimes sample, the McLaren Project can adopt successful and conventional mineral sands approaches with some smart refinements, resulting in a simpler, more robust plant design and a lower-risk development path.
