Elevate advances U-pgrade pilot
Elevate Uranium expects to complete the final stage of pilot-scale testing of its proprietary U-pgrade beneficiation process in Namibia before the end of 2026, despite delays caused by supply-chain problems.
Results from the first four of five stages showed that the process rejected 88% of the original ore mass while recovering 79% of the uranium from low-grade feed averaging 89 parts per million (ppm).
The remaining material was upgraded to about 590 ppm uranium.
Managing director Murray Hill said the results demonstrated the importance of removing calcite before the ore enters the leaching stage, as calcite consumes large quantities of acid during conventional processing.
About 12% of the original ore mass remained after the first four stages, allowing the material to be treated using an acid leach rather than the slower, higher-temperature alkaline process that would otherwise be required.
Elevate has previously estimated that U-pgrade could reduce capital and operating costs to roughly half those associated with conventional uranium processing.
Hill, however, said the estimate still needed to be tested through the company's project studies.
“We have always said that we need to prove it, and then we need to do a study to determine the costs,” he said.
“I cannot make any out now, and I cannot guess them, because I’m going to be wrong, whichever way you do it.”
Final stage delayed
The fifth and final stage of the pilot programme is targeted for completion before the end of the year after delays affected the supply of equipment and reagents.
Hill said a reagent required for the final stage took eight weeks to reach Namibia from Perth but turned out to be the wrong product, resulting in a further four-week wait for a replacement.
The company is now waiting for additional equipment expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
Elevate will also process higher-grade Marenica ore through the pilot plant. The company expects uranium recovery to improve from the 79% achieved using lower-grade historical material.
Hill said recovery above 85% would represent a good outcome.
The pilot programme is expected to provide further data for the development studies on Marenica, one of Elevate's two uranium projects in Namibia.
Elevate has about A$29 million (N$335.8 million) in cash, which Hill said is sufficient to complete the Marenica study without another capital raising.
