St George Mining Limited has commenced a four- to six-week pilot plant study at the CIT-SENAI facility in Belo Horizonte, processing approximately 9 tonnes of near-surface saprolite material from its 100%-owned Araxá Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The large-scale pilot plant study builds on initial flotation beneficiation work that produced a high-grade niobium concentrate and a rare-earth-enriched tailings stream. The 9-tonne bulk sample is considered representative of material that could be mined in the early years of a potential mining operation at the project.

The program incorporates locked-cycle flotation test work incorporating recycle streams to further optimise recoveries and grades. Operations combine grinding, magnetic separation and flotation to generate a niobium concentrate alongside a rare-earth-enriched niobium flotation tailings stream.

“Our initial flotation test work produced niobium concentrate with recoveries and grades that are consistent with niobium mining operations for Araxá-style pyrochlore mineralisation. Significantly the test work also achieved significant upgrading of the rare earths in the niobium flotation tailings.”

— John Prineas, Executive Chairman

The resulting niobium concentrate will undergo downstream processing test work targeting the production of ferroniobium containing approximately 65% niobium through pyrometallurgical refining and aluminothermic processing. Meanwhile, the rare-earth-enriched flotation tailings will be evaluated through downstream hydrometallurgical test work targeting an intermediate product such as mixed rare earth carbonate or rare earth oxalate.

St George has engaged experienced technical experts to drive the metallurgical studies, including former CBMM executives Lead Processing Engineer Ricardo Nardi and Director of Operations Adriano Rios.

Results from the CIT-SENAI beneficiation study are expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. In parallel, construction has commenced on a separate large-scale pilot plant at the CEFET-MG Araxá Campus following the receipt of required environmental and building permits, with first operation scheduled for January 2027.

Read the full announcement: Pilot Plant Test Work at Araxa Project