Junior explorer Surefire Resources (ASX: SRN) has confirmed a pre-feasibility study for the Victory Bore vanadium project in Western Australia is on track for completion next month.
The company is currently finalising the economic assessment, which includes value-adding initiatives in novel vanadium extraction and high purity alumina (HPA) extraction potential.
Initial results have shown that production of 4N (99.99%) HPA can be achieved from the project material and a new test work program is underway to increase the recovery of aluminium oxide for scoping study purposes.
Surefire is advancing Victory Bore at a time when global markets are experiencing increased demand for critical minerals in traditional steel and emerging vanadium redox batteries.
Mineral processing opportunities
In August, Surefire announced it had secured a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment for mineral processing opportunities relating to high-grade ore from Victory Bore.
Since the announcement, the company has been introduced to the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY), which promotes and manages the kingdom’s minerals industry.
RCJY has proposed a location for Surefire’s downstream vanadium processing operation in the new Ras Al-Khair industrial region currently being built.
Surefire said the offer of land serviced by existing regional infrastructure, utilities and logistics would greatly reduce the upfront capital costs of the Victory Bore development.
Yidby metallurgical work
Surefire is following up metallurgical testwork at its Yidby gold project, northeast of Perth, with a 70-day column leach test program to determine a suitable size fraction for Yidby leachate.
Initial bottle roll testwork provided positive indications of the gravity recoverable and cyanidable gold content; overall gold recovery; the nature of the gold leach kinetics; and lime and sodium cyanide reagent consumption rates.
The column test program will provide information to support a commercial cyanide leaching operation.
Surefire said the results would be followed by drilling at Yidby focused on new targets to expand the current gold mineralisation.
Perenjori development options
Surefire has engaged consultancy firm Aurora Environmental to assess recent environmental survey results and provide development pathway options for the Perenjori iron ore project near Geraldton.
The company has submitted plans for the next stage of drilling to expand the current mineral resource and provide more samples for metallurgical test work.
Perenjori is also being introduced to companies in Saudi Arabia via the Ministry of Investment as a ready source of “green iron” feedstock for the kingdom’s large infrastructure projects.
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