Rapid Critical Metals has delivered standout metallurgical flotation results from its New South Wales silver projects, with silver recoveries nearing 99% and high-grade concentrates reinforcing project potential.
- Silver recoveries up to 98.7% at Consol Master composite
- Lead recoveries between 97% and 99% across composites
- Zinc recovery peaks at 93.3% with further optimisation needed
- Silver concentrates grade as high as 2,051 g/t Ag
- Results underpin next phase of flotation optimisation and flowsheet design
Metallurgical Breakthrough at Consol and Webbs Projects
Rapid Critical Metals (ASX:RCM) has reported a significant technical milestone with preliminary rougher flotation tests revealing exceptional recoveries of silver, lead, and zinc from its Webbs and Consol Silver Projects in New South Wales. The standout figure is a 98.7% silver recovery into rougher concentrate from the Consol Master composite at a fine 125 µm grind, accompanied by lead recoveries consistently hitting 97–99% across all tested composites.
These results are far from routine assay numbers; they confirm the projects’ mineralisation responds robustly to conventional sulphide flotation methods, a critical factor in advancing mining feasibility. Rapid’s Managing Director Byron Miles highlighted metallurgy as a key technical risk, underscoring that these outcomes provide a solid foundation for refining the processing flowsheet.
High-Grade Concentrates and Zinc Recovery Challenges
Beyond recovery rates, the quality of concentrates is striking. The Consol Fines composite produced silver concentrates grading up to 2,051 g/t Ag, signalling the high-grade nature of the deposits. Lead grades in concentrates were equally impressive, reaching over 35% in some tests.
Zinc recovery, while strong at 93.3% from the Consol Master composite at the finer grind, showed variability, particularly in the Consol Fines composite where zinc recovery dropped to around 29%. This indicates that zinc deportment and depressant chemistry require further optimisation to maximise zinc extraction without compromising silver and lead recoveries.
Testwork Program and Technical Details
The flotation testwork involved six rougher flotation tests on three master composites, Webbs Master, Consol Master, and Consol Fines, each ground to two particle size distributions (P80 125 µm and 250 µm). The finer grind consistently enhanced silver and zinc recovery, pointing to liberation as a key metallurgical driver.
Tests were conducted at bench scale using a 2.2-litre flotation cell with a conventional sulphide reagent scheme, including lime for pH control and specific depressants for sphalerite and pyrite. The results represent cumulative rougher flotation, not final saleable concentrate grades, with cleaner flotation testwork planned to refine concentrate specifications.
Strategic Implications and Next Steps
Located in the historically productive New England Fold Belt, Rapid’s Webbs and Consol projects benefit from established infrastructure and a mining-friendly jurisdiction. The company’s next steps include cleaner flotation testwork to define marketable concentrate grades, optimisation of grind size and reagent schemes, and variability testing across additional composites. These efforts aim to integrate metallurgical insights into the ongoing flowsheet development and feasibility studies.
Rapid’s broader strategy includes advancing these silver-polymetallic assets alongside its Canadian gallium-germanium project, with recent drilling permits secured and exploration programs underway. The metallurgical progress at Webbs and Consol dovetails with the company’s push to upgrade resources and test new targets, setting the stage for a steady flow of news in the months ahead.
Bottom Line?
While the flotation results are promising, zinc recovery optimisation and cleaner concentrate testing remain critical hurdles before commercial viability can be confirmed.
Questions in the middle?
- How will zinc recovery optimisation impact overall project economics and timelines?
- What scale-up risks exist moving from bench-scale flotation to pilot or commercial operations?
- How might these metallurgical advances influence Rapid’s resource upgrade and mine planning efforts?