XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3 3365
BeO from a pegmatite containing 0.08% BeO (Sayers,
1947). For caesium, a paper by Howe (1966), describes
beneficiation of lithium, pollucite, tantalite and beryl from
Bernic Lake in Canada.
ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS
Table 4 shows the current prices for economic minerals in
pegmatites as at October, 2023.
For the following prospect drilled and assayed, Table 5,
the majority of the value is in the beryllium and very little
value in the lithium and tin. As a result further drilling is
not warranted until sighter tests can be undertaken to
establish the likely recovery of the beryllium as its recovery
will be critical.
If the value of the project is based on 10% of the con-
tained metals, this gives a value of US $4,368,150 in the
exploration prospect. Testwork to establish recoveries is
required to establish the technical and commercial viability
of the prospect.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on literature review and testwork undertaken the fol-
lowing conclusions can be drawn.
• LPPO usually has large reserves and a complex min-
eralogy depending on how the pegmatite dykes were
formed geologically.
• LPPO has large reserves in many countries
namely Australia, Canada, China, Ireland, Eastern
Table 4. Today’s Metal Prices USD (METS Library)
Metal Units US$
Tin Tonne 28,743
Tantalum Tonne 347,000
Niobium Tonne 50,000
Beryllium Tonne 318,000
Lithium Hydroxide Tonne 69,120
Table 5. Pegmatite Exploration Drilled Resources (METS
Library)
Metal Tonnes US$/t Total $
Tin 18.0 28,743 517,374
Tantalum 16.6 347,000 5,760,200
Niobium 25.3 50,000 1,265,000
Beryllium 111.5 318,000 35,457,000
Lithium 19.8 69,120 1,368,576
Total 44,368,150
Kazakhstan, USA and South America. The presence
of lithium, tin, tantalum, caesium and beryllium var-
ies markedly.
• The current beneficiation techniques include ore
sorting, dense media separation, flotation, mag-
netic separation. Mica removal ahead of DMS and
flotation is common. The ores are complex and few
improvements to the process have been made over
recent decades. With growing demand for these criti-
cal minerals this is expected to change going forward.
• Whilst recently a lot has been learned about pro-
cessing pegmatite dykes with spodumene the newer
LPPO deposits will prove far more challenging.
• Magnetic separation is an auxiliary method to pro-
cess lithium concentrates.
• Flotation is the main separation process and is dif-
ficult. The key lies in good quality water, no slimes
and tailored flotation reagents.
• Each pegmatite dyke is unique and variability can
exist in the dyke swarm. Since beryllium, tantalum,
niobium are all valuable metals LPPO concentrates
require complex leaching regimes to separate the
metals from the concentrates.
• Sighter tests are required before extensive drilling to
confirm technical recovery and the economic viabil-
ity of processing these ores.
• This is an area with little by way of references in liter-
ature searches and even less industry knowledge and
a number of technical challenges processing these
ores.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The author would like to thank IMPCC and METS
Engineering Group for permission to publish this paper
and all colleagues and engineers at various sites, METS staff
and other consultants for their contribution, and the man-
agement of METS for their permission and constructive
criticism of various drafts of this manuscript. Thanks also
to various vendors for providing technical input.
REFERENCES
Barros, R., Kaeter, D., Menuge, J. F., Fegan, T., &Harrop,
J. (2022). Rare Element Enrichment in Lithium
Pegmatite Exomorphic Halos and Implications for
Exploration: Evidence from the Leinster Albite-
Spodumene Pegmatite Belt, Southeast Ireland.
Minerals, 12(8), 981. doi: 10.3390/min12080981.
Bhappu R B, Fuerstenau M. Recovery of valuable Minerals
From pegmatite Ores. Circular 70.N.M Bureau of
Mines and mineral Resources, Socorro.1964.
BeO from a pegmatite containing 0.08% BeO (Sayers,
1947). For caesium, a paper by Howe (1966), describes
beneficiation of lithium, pollucite, tantalite and beryl from
Bernic Lake in Canada.
ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS
Table 4 shows the current prices for economic minerals in
pegmatites as at October, 2023.
For the following prospect drilled and assayed, Table 5,
the majority of the value is in the beryllium and very little
value in the lithium and tin. As a result further drilling is
not warranted until sighter tests can be undertaken to
establish the likely recovery of the beryllium as its recovery
will be critical.
If the value of the project is based on 10% of the con-
tained metals, this gives a value of US $4,368,150 in the
exploration prospect. Testwork to establish recoveries is
required to establish the technical and commercial viability
of the prospect.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on literature review and testwork undertaken the fol-
lowing conclusions can be drawn.
• LPPO usually has large reserves and a complex min-
eralogy depending on how the pegmatite dykes were
formed geologically.
• LPPO has large reserves in many countries
namely Australia, Canada, China, Ireland, Eastern
Table 4. Today’s Metal Prices USD (METS Library)
Metal Units US$
Tin Tonne 28,743
Tantalum Tonne 347,000
Niobium Tonne 50,000
Beryllium Tonne 318,000
Lithium Hydroxide Tonne 69,120
Table 5. Pegmatite Exploration Drilled Resources (METS
Library)
Metal Tonnes US$/t Total $
Tin 18.0 28,743 517,374
Tantalum 16.6 347,000 5,760,200
Niobium 25.3 50,000 1,265,000
Beryllium 111.5 318,000 35,457,000
Lithium 19.8 69,120 1,368,576
Total 44,368,150
Kazakhstan, USA and South America. The presence
of lithium, tin, tantalum, caesium and beryllium var-
ies markedly.
• The current beneficiation techniques include ore
sorting, dense media separation, flotation, mag-
netic separation. Mica removal ahead of DMS and
flotation is common. The ores are complex and few
improvements to the process have been made over
recent decades. With growing demand for these criti-
cal minerals this is expected to change going forward.
• Whilst recently a lot has been learned about pro-
cessing pegmatite dykes with spodumene the newer
LPPO deposits will prove far more challenging.
• Magnetic separation is an auxiliary method to pro-
cess lithium concentrates.
• Flotation is the main separation process and is dif-
ficult. The key lies in good quality water, no slimes
and tailored flotation reagents.
• Each pegmatite dyke is unique and variability can
exist in the dyke swarm. Since beryllium, tantalum,
niobium are all valuable metals LPPO concentrates
require complex leaching regimes to separate the
metals from the concentrates.
• Sighter tests are required before extensive drilling to
confirm technical recovery and the economic viabil-
ity of processing these ores.
• This is an area with little by way of references in liter-
ature searches and even less industry knowledge and
a number of technical challenges processing these
ores.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The author would like to thank IMPCC and METS
Engineering Group for permission to publish this paper
and all colleagues and engineers at various sites, METS staff
and other consultants for their contribution, and the man-
agement of METS for their permission and constructive
criticism of various drafts of this manuscript. Thanks also
to various vendors for providing technical input.
REFERENCES
Barros, R., Kaeter, D., Menuge, J. F., Fegan, T., &Harrop,
J. (2022). Rare Element Enrichment in Lithium
Pegmatite Exomorphic Halos and Implications for
Exploration: Evidence from the Leinster Albite-
Spodumene Pegmatite Belt, Southeast Ireland.
Minerals, 12(8), 981. doi: 10.3390/min12080981.
Bhappu R B, Fuerstenau M. Recovery of valuable Minerals
From pegmatite Ores. Circular 70.N.M Bureau of
Mines and mineral Resources, Socorro.1964.