Aldoro Resources (ASX:ARN) has disclosed that independent metallurgical testwork at CM Solutions Metlab Pty Ltd in Johannesburg, South Africa, has validated the company's proprietary direct hydrometallurgical pathway from hard-rock carbonatite mineralisation to mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC) and strontium carbonate at the Kameelburg project, producing an MREC sample grading 39.6% TREE and a strontium carbonate sample of approximately 80% purity.

Key Points

  • Testwork at CM Solutions validated a direct "Rock-to-MREC" flowsheet operating under ambient temperature and pressure within a approximately two-hour leach residence time, without conventional flotation beneficiation or high-temperature acid baking or roasting.
  • The MREC sample graded 39.6% TREE (47.5% TREO equivalent as-dried), with rare earth oxides accounting for 85.3% of measured metal oxides and combined U+Th of 3.7 g/t.
  • Strontium leach recoveries reached up to 99%, with single-pass NdPr leach recoveries of approximately 70%–74%, rising to over 89% cumulative rare earth recovery with caustic conversion processing.
  • Low-intensity magnetic separation retained approximately 97%–98% of key rare earths and strontium, while producing a niobium-enriched magnetite by-product grading 47.4%–50.6% Fe.
  • An independent market study by Wood Mackenzie indicates a Kameelburg REO basket value of approximately US$18,000/t REO and a long-term MREC forecast price of approximately US$7,000/t MREC.

Kameelburg Direct Hydrometallurgical Flowsheet Validation

Testwork conducted on representative diamond drillcore composites at CM Solutions Metlab Pty Ltd in Johannesburg confirmed Aldoro's proprietary direct hydrometallurgical process, which progresses from hard-rock carbonatite mineralisation to MREC and strontium carbonate without conventional flotation beneficiation or energy-intensive high-temperature acid baking or roasting. The process operates under ambient temperature and pressure within a approximately two-hour leach residence time. Comminution testwork across six drillhole composites returned an average SMC Drop Weight Index of 4.10 kWh/m³, a Bond Ball Mill Work Index of 12.07 kWh/t, and a Bond Abrasion Index of 0.0045, characterising the ore as soft to medium and non-abrasive.

MREC and Strontium Carbonate Sample Results

The MREC sample was produced directly from leach solutions generated by Aldoro's controlled selective leach process without intermediate purification, grading 39.6% TREE (47.5% TREO equivalent as-dried, or approximately 55%–57% TREO on a calculated moisture-adjusted basis). Primary impurities on an as-dried basis included 1.1% Al, 1.1% Fe, 1.8% Ca, less than 0.5% Mg/Mn, and combined U+Th of 3.7 g/t. The strontium carbonate sample achieved 79.2% SrCO₃ purity. Aldoro's controlled selective leaching reduced hydrochloric acid dosage to approximately 400 kg/t for the master composite and 339 kg/t for the non-magnetic feed, reductions of approximately 37% and 47% respectively compared with the initial baseline.

Wood Mackenzie Pricing Study and WILLETECH Partnership

An independent market study by Wood Mackenzie indicates a Kameelburg REO basket value of approximately US$18,000/t REO and a long-term MREC forecast price of approximately US$7,000/t MREC, rising to approximately US$7,700/t MREC as process optimisation advances MREC purity to the company's 90% target. Strontium carbonate is referenced at approximately US$2,000/t for an approximately 80% SrCO₃ product. The company also disclosed a strategic partnership memorandum of understanding with WILLETECH, which the filing states commits RMB 2 billion (approximately A$430 million) to advance Kameelburg to commercial production, with an initial RMB 100 million tranche deposited in escrow and Aldoro retaining 42% free-carried equity. These results are stated to be incorporated into a Scoping Study to be completed in the near term.