Red Mountain Lithium Grade Jumps to 4,481ppm with Falcon Beneficiation
Astute Metals has reported a significant upgrade in lithium concentration at its Red Mountain Project in Nevada, achieving a 38% increase in lithium grade and over 50% mass reduction through Falcon beneficiation testwork. This advancement points to lower processing costs and enhanced commercial viability for the project.
- Lithium grade increased from 3,245ppm to 4,481ppm
- Sample mass reduced by 51.8% via Falcon C Concentrator
- 66.6% lithium recovery achieved in beneficiation process
- Significant reduction in calcium and carbon content, implying lower acid consumption
- Attrition Scrubbing testwork underway for comparative analysis
Beneficiation Breakthrough at Red Mountain
Astute Metals NL (ASX – ASE) has announced encouraging results from its latest beneficiation testwork at the Red Mountain Lithium Project in Nevada, USA. Using the Falcon Continuous (Falcon C) Concentrator, the company successfully upgraded lithium-bearing clay samples, boosting lithium concentration by 38% to 4,481ppm while simultaneously reducing the sample mass by over half. This dual achievement suggests a promising pathway to more cost-effective lithium extraction.
The beneficiation process focuses on separating valuable lithium minerals from waste material, or gangue, thereby increasing the grade of lithium in the concentrate and reducing the volume of material requiring further processing. Astute’s testwork demonstrated a 51.8% mass rejection alongside a 66.6% lithium recovery rate, indicating efficient upgrading of the mineralised clay.
Implications for Processing and Environmental Impact
Notably, the testwork also achieved a 43% reduction in calcium and carbon content, interpreted as the removal of calcite, a mineral known to consume significant amounts of acid during lithium extraction. This reduction could translate into lower acid consumption, reduced reagent costs, and a smaller environmental footprint for future processing operations.
Astute Metals is now conducting comparative beneficiation tests using Attrition Scrubbing, a method that has proven effective on other Nevada lithium clay deposits. Following these tests, leaching experiments will assess acid consumption and lithium recovery from both Falcon and Attrition Scrubbing concentrates, further refining the project’s processing strategy.
Strategic Context and Next Steps
Located in a region known for significant lithium deposits, Red Mountain benefits from extensive exploration success, with every drill hole intersecting lithium mineralisation. The recent beneficiation results build on earlier metallurgical work and reinforce the project's commercial potential as a critical metals source within the United States.
Astute’s Chairman, Tony Leibowitz, emphasised the importance of these findings as part of the systematic de-risking of the project, highlighting the synergy between exploration and metallurgical development. The company plans to continue refining beneficiation techniques and advancing leachability testing to confirm the economic and environmental benefits suggested by the current results.
Bottom Line?
Astute Metals’ beneficiation advances at Red Mountain mark a pivotal step toward cost-effective lithium production, but upcoming comparative tests and scale-up will be critical to confirm commercial viability.
Questions in the middle?
- How will Attrition Scrubbing results compare to Falcon beneficiation in terms of lithium recovery and acid consumption?
- What are the projected cost savings and environmental benefits from reduced acid use in large-scale processing?
- How will these beneficiation improvements influence the timeline and economics of advancing Red Mountain toward production?
