How Metals Australia Turned Manindi Ore into Two High-Grade Commercial Products
Metals Australia has successfully produced two commercially viable products from its Manindi Titanium-Vanadium-Iron discovery, while identifying additional promising exploration targets nearby.
- Two high-grade products: Iron-Vanadium Pentoxide and Titanium Oxide-Iron
- Over 65% combined product yield from metallurgical test work
- Discovery adjacent to existing Zinc-Copper-Silver Mineral Resource
- Four new exploration targets identified within 2km of discovery
- Simple, scalable processing methods underpin economic potential
Breakthrough Metallurgical Results at Manindi
Metals Australia Ltd (ASX: MLS) has announced encouraging metallurgical test results from its high-grade Titanium-Vanadium-Iron (Ti-V-Fe) discovery at the Manindi project in Western Australia's Murchison region. The company successfully produced two distinct commercial products: a high-grade Iron-Vanadium Pentoxide concentrate grading 66.0% iron and 1.19% vanadium pentoxide, and a Titanium Oxide-Iron product with approximately 43.8% titanium dioxide and 32.0% iron. Both products exhibit low impurity levels, enhancing their market appeal.
These results stem from metallurgical testing on a composite drill core sample from hole 22MND004, which contained significant mineralisation approximately 50 meters below surface. The combined recovery of the two products exceeded 65% of the original ore sample mass, a notable achievement that underscores the potential for efficient ore-to-product conversion using straightforward processing techniques such as crushing, grinding, and magnetic separation.
Strategic Location and Expanding Exploration Potential
The Manindi Ti-V-Fe discovery lies adjacent to Metals Australia's existing Zinc-Copper-Silver Mineral Resource, which itself contains over 1 million tonnes of mineralised material with significant zinc, copper, and silver grades. The Ti-V-Fe mineralisation is hosted within a magnetic gabbro intrusion extending roughly 2 kilometers in length and up to 200 meters wide, remaining open at depth. Encouragingly, further geophysical analysis has identified four additional target zones within 1 to 2 kilometers of the original discovery, suggesting a broader mineralised system yet to be fully explored.
Metals Australia is preparing a Program of Work to facilitate follow-up drilling aimed at defining a Mineral Resource for the discovery zone and testing these new targets. This next phase will be critical in establishing the scale and economic viability of the project, potentially advancing it toward a scoping study.
Simple Processing and Economic Promise
The metallurgical test work employed conventional and scalable methods, including Low Intensity Magnetic Separation (LIMS) and Wet High Gradient Magnetic Separation (WHGMS), to produce the two high-grade products. The Iron-Vanadium product, with its high iron content and vanadium credits, is particularly attractive given its low impurities, which can command premium pricing in the market. The Titanium Oxide product, derived from ilmenite, achieved grades close to theoretical maxima, with ongoing work to further enhance its quality through gravity separation techniques.
Preliminary economic evaluations support the project's potential, with discussions already underway with potential offtake partners. Metals Australia's CEO Paul Ferguson highlighted the significance of these results as a foundation for further exploration and development, emphasizing the project's alignment with the company's portfolio of critical minerals assets.
Broader Portfolio Progress
Alongside Manindi, Metals Australia continues to advance its other projects, including the Lac Carheil graphite project in Quebec, Canada, where recent drilling has extended high-grade graphite zones. The company is also progressing exploration in the Northern Territory's Warrego East copper-gold province and maintaining focus on its zinc-copper-silver resources at Manindi. These diversified assets position Metals Australia well within the critical minerals sector, catering to growing demand for battery and industrial metals.
Bottom Line?
With promising products and new targets identified, Metals Australia is poised to deepen exploration and define resources that could reshape its critical minerals portfolio.
Questions in the middle?
- What timeline and budget has Metals Australia set for the upcoming drilling and resource definition at Manindi?
- How will ongoing metallurgical optimization impact product grades and recoveries, particularly for the titanium concentrate?
- What are the prospects for securing offtake agreements and financing based on these preliminary economic assessments?