Apr 11 2016
Medallion Resources Ltd. ("Medallion" or the "Company"), today reported it is now prepared, once it has secured sufficient funding, to move forward on pilot plant-scale tests of its monazite-based rare-earth extraction process. These new tests represent the last major technical confirmation prior to building a continuous-flow integrated pilot plant. An integrated pilot plant operation can form the basis of an engineering study confirming the commercial viability of the process.
Medallion is seeking equity capital and government-sponsored programs to have a qualified mineral lab conduct the pilot-scale tests, which are expected to cost approximately $200,000.
"We've invested significant resources over the last three years developing our enhanced rare-earth extraction process, so we're keen to follow up our bench-scale tests to get confirmation at a larger scale and provide new higher-valued product samples to potential customers," said Don Lay, President & CEO. "We note that there has been little progress from current rare-earth resource developers over the last number of years and the marketplace is now looking for new feedstock sources."
In addition to performing complete testing of the operating parameters for all key process steps, a variety of potential monazite input feedstocks, re-agent recycling, and phosphate by-product tests and analysis will be conducted. This builds on the Company's earlier design work and successful bench-level tests which were announced August, 2015. Medallion's optimized flow-sheet design uses only well-understood and time-tested metallurgical techniques that have been implemented in production environments; as such, significant technical hurdles are not anticipated.
About Medallion Resources
Medallion is executing on a business strategy to produce rare-earths concentrates at low costs from monazite, a by-product mineral available from existing mining and mineral-sands sources. The Company has developed a rare-earth extraction process and business relationships with the potential to deliver significant near-term rare-earth production outside of China. Rare earths are critical inputs to all modern computing and electronic products, as well as wind turbines, electric and hybrid vehicles, and strategic defense systems. Medallion is committed to following best practices and the highest international standards in all aspects of mineral processing and the safe management of waste materials. More about Medallion (TSX-V: MDL; OTCPK: MLLOF; Frankfurt: MRD) can be found at medallionresources.com.
Source: http://medallionresources.com/