Name of the Project
Monte Muambe rare earths and fluorspar project.

Location
North-western Mozambique.

Project Owner/s
Junior exploration and critical minerals company Altona Rare Earths (51%).

Project Description
A scoping study has proposed the openpit mining of Target 1 and Target 4 at the Monte Muambe project over a life-of-mine of 18 years.

An estimated 750 000 t/y of ore is planned to be extracted and processed through a beneficiation plant to produce a rare-earth concentrate.

The beneficiation process will include crushing, milling and flotation.

The concentrate will be processed through a hydrometallurgical plant to produce an average of 15 000 t/y of mixed rare-earth carbonate.

The hydrometallurgical process will involve a weak acid gangue leach, followed by rare earths leaching and purification.

The mixed rare-earth concentrate product will be packaged and transported by existing road infrastructure to the Port of Beira, in Mozambique, for export.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an after-tax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $283.3-million and an internal rate of return of 25%, with a payback of 2.5 years.

Capital Expenditure
Initial capital expenditure is estimated at $276.3-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
Altona Rare Earths is seeking a strategic investor to co-fund a prefeasibility study (PFS) phase, following the identification of potentially economic gallium grades.

Gallium – a soft, silvery metal that melts just above room temperature – is typically recovered as a by-product of bauxite or zinc mining and is considered a critical raw material. Compounds, such as gallium arsenide and gallium nitride, are necessary for the production of electronics, green energy technologies and telecommunications systems.

Gallium has emerged as a strategically important material for countries aiming to diversify and secure independent supply chains, particularly as China, which is producing more than 90% of global supply, has imposed export restrictions on critical metals, including gallium, germanium and antimony.

Other progress at the project includes the granting of a mining licence, securing tenure through to 2049 and the completion of the scoping study.

Altona is also undertaking metallurgy at metallurgical testing at analytical services provider SGS’s Lakefield facility, in Canada, to confirm whether gallium follows the rare earths in the flotation process, as well as mineralogy analysis at the University of Leicester, in the UK, to confirm exactly which rare-earth minerals host gallium and better understand its distribution in drill holes.

“This metallurgical testing and mineralogy will be integrated into the PFS. If gallium is recoverable, it will be included in the PFS as a by-product,” CEO Cedric Simonet has said.

There is still significant exploration potential, as only two of the 11 identified targets have been drilled, he has added.

The gallium opportunity at Monte Muambe is now being approached from three key angles, each with significant value implications.

“Some rare-earth bodies have higher gallium levels, like at target six. There’s a good possibility gallium can be added as a by-product of rare earths. This is our first angle,” Simonet has indicated.

The second angle being investigated is the potential for gallium anomalies to indicate the presence of gallium ore.

The third line of investigation involves field observations indicating a possible correlation between gallium anomalies and hybrid feldspar zones. Simonet has said that if this link is confirmed, it could lead to the discovery of new, higher-grade feldspar deposits, potentially upgrading current feldspar from metallurgical grade to acid grade.

The gallium discovery, he has noted, presents multiple avenues for value creation: “We’re advancing all fronts: rare earths, gallium and feldspar, while progressing the Botswana copper project.”

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Altona Rare Earths business development, Christian Taylor-Wilkinson, tel +44 7795 168 157 or email ctw@altonaRE.com.