How Caspin’s Ore Sorting Boosts Kelpie Tin Grades Up to Sixfold

Ore Sorting Breakthrough at Kelpie

Caspin Resources Limited (ASX – CPN) has unveiled promising early results from its ore sorting test program at the Kelpie Tin Deposit, part of its 100% owned Bygoo Project in New South Wales. Using TOMRA’s advanced X-Ray Transmission technology, the company achieved substantial upgrades in tin grades from both high- and low-grade samples, signaling a potential game-changer for the project’s processing strategy.

The high-grade sample, originally containing 1.11% tin, was upgraded approximately threefold to 3.33% tin, while rejecting 71% of the mass as waste. Even more striking, the low-grade sample, starting at 0.19% tin, was upgraded sixfold to 1.16% tin with 92% mass rejection. These results demonstrate the deposit’s strong amenability to ore sorting, a technology increasingly adopted in global tin mining to improve concentrate quality and reduce processing volumes.

Implications for Project Development

Managing Director Greg Miles highlighted the significance of these findings, noting that ore sorting could lower the economic cut-off grade, effectively increasing the volume of ore that can be economically processed. Additionally, the technology promises a smaller plant footprint and reduced capital and operating costs, offering valuable optionality in development scenarios. While these initial tests are qualitative and based on limited sample sizes, they provide a strong foundation for more comprehensive metallurgical programs.

Importantly, the waste stream grade was reduced below the resource cut-off, indicating effective separation of low-value material. The company also noted that the fines fraction; particles smaller than 6.7mm, which cannot be sorted; was relatively low at 13%, minimizing potential losses. Future work will focus on optimizing recoveries and product grades across a broader range of samples and particle sizes.

Next Steps and Broader Context

Caspin plans to advance to bulk ore sorting tests using approximately 700kg of material to better represent in-situ conditions. Parallel conventional gravity separation test work is underway at ALS Laboratories in Tasmania, aiming to confirm commercial concentrate grades and recoveries. The integration of ore sorting with gravity separation could yield a highly efficient processing flow sheet.

The Kelpie Deposit, situated within the prolific Wagga Tin Belt near the historic Ardlethan Tin Mine, holds an inferred resource of nearly 4 million tonnes at 0.5% tin. These metallurgical advancements come on the heels of Caspin’s maiden resource announcement, reinforcing the project’s potential as a significant tin source in Australia.

As Caspin continues exploration and metallurgical testing, the market will be watching closely to see how these technological gains translate into project economics and eventual production viability.