McLaren Minerals has officially fired up the air core rig to get its latest drilling campaign underway at the company’s flagship McLaren titanium sands project in Western Australia’s Eucla Basin.
The program, which kicked off last week, is designed to refine resource estimates and unlock additional high-grade titanium mineralisation.
Infill drilling will focus on enhancing the company’s confidence in the project's existing 280-million-tonne global resource, while extension drilling will target previously identified mineralised zones beyond the known deposit.
The program’s top priority is to collect about five tonnes of sample material, which will be sent to IHC Mining’s laboratory in Queensland to conduct further metallurgical studies.
This data is a key piece of the puzzle needed to complete a project prefeasibility study now underway and will also be used to refine an optimal strategy to deal with residual clay impurities, known as slimes.
Earlier testing confirmed a strong recovery rate of 75 per cent for ilmenite, altered ilmenite and titanium dioxide minerals when processed through wet concentration and beneficiation plants. Titanium recovery reached 57pc, while zircon recovery stood at an impressive 70pc.
The final product also proved to be of high quality - ilmenite met the standards for sulphate ilmenite, while rutile had an exceptional 95.7pc titanium dioxide content with minimal iron impurities of just 1.5pc. The zircon contained less than 265 parts per million of uranium and thorium, which is well within industry safety standards.
Slimes were reduced to under 200 grams per tonne when a 3pc gypsum settling agent was added, improving overall process efficiency.
McLaren will start sending a steady stream of metallurgical samples for test work within the next two weeks, while analytical samples will be processed and dispatched weekly.
The company is planning to run about 6000 metres of air core drilling in a six-week campaign designed by ERM Australia Consultants.
The McLaren project is strategically positioned in the Eucla Basin close to excellent roads and rail infrastructure that runs directly to the Port of Esperance.
McLaren Mineral’s managing director Simon Finnis said: “Not only will the program provide essential material for further metallurgical optimisation and flowsheet validation, but it is also designed to increase confidence in the current inferred and indicated resource and explore potential extensions, ensuring we continue to progress towards commercial production.”
The drilling program comes as the deposit’s key ingredient ilmenite – the main source of titanium oxide primarily for white pigment – continues to trade at an impressive US$300 (AU$443) per tonne. Strong market demand has continued to dominate the ilmenite market because of supply deficits and mine closures throughout Africa.
Titanium, a critical mineral essential for aerospace, defence and energy applications, represents a significant market opportunity for McLaren. The company acquired the project six months ago for a modest $150,000 in cash, with additional share entitlements contingent on achieving feasibility milestones.
With global demand for titanium strengthening, McLaren is well-positioned to capitalise on market dynamics. As drilling progresses, punters will be keen to catch up on a steady flow of assay results and metallurgical data that may offer further clarity on the project’s enormous economic potential.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
By James Pearson
