Junior explorer Galileo Mining (ASX:GAL) has bumped up cobalt grades from its Norseman project, with maiden metallurgical test work almost tripling initial results.
The Mark Creasy-backed miner used conventional sizing techniques to increase cobalt grades from 0.1% to 0.28%.
The concentration works also significantly reduced the presence of high acid consuming minerals, such as iron and alumina.
According to Galileo managing director Brand Underwood the battery metal recoveries were achieved with conventional, commercially available technology which limits operational expenditure and significantly de-risks the company.
This early success in our first attempt to concentrate the cobalt ore implies that the Norseman Cobalt Project could be amenable to large scale beneficiation prior to extraction of the contained metals.
Such an outcome could lead to considerably improved economics for a mining operation and open up new opportunities for the development of Galileo’s cobalt resources,” he said.
“We are now in a strong position to undertake the more detailed metallurgical test work required for the completion of our scoping study,” Mr Underwood added.
The mineral test work was conducted on drill core taken from Galileo’s highly-prospective Dragon deposit, located within the Mission Sill cobalt resource.
Excitingly for investors there remains the prospect of further additional potential, with ongoing test work to investigate recoveries of platinum, palladium and copper metals.
Up to two tonnes of sample is available for test work, with the company flagging initial assay results to be released to market shortly.
Platinum and palladium values have not yet been followed up at the Mission Sill and the area is believed to be prospective for additional mineralisation.
Galileo holds tenements near Norseman with over 22,000 tonnes of contained cobalt, and 106,000 tonnes of contained nickel, in JORC compliant resource.
The company is also on the hunt for cobalt and Nova style nickel at its Fraser Range project.
