The Eneabba Mineral Separation Plant (MSP) By-Product Mineral Resource is located within the Perth Basin however the material is made up of mineral sands by-product from Iluka’s Narngulu MSP. Being a minerals sands stockpile there is no geological structure. The stockpile physically presents as a fine grained sand and is approximately 300m in length, 150 wide and varies from 1 to 15m in thickness. The fine grained, dark brown to black material is easily distinguishable from the yellow clayey sand it resides on.

A half to one meter cap of orange brown, gravelly, clayey sand covers the resource. A mixed zone of the by-product and capping immediately below the capping with high HM grade in combination with elevated slimes and oversize is recognised, being defined in the resource estimation and reporting.

The tailings material comprises a mixture of ilmenite, staurolite, aluminosilicates, zircon and the rare earth bearing mineral ‘monazite’, a naturally-occurring radioactive material (NORM). [08/01/2019 Decision Report, p. 2]

The Eneabba mineral sands recovery project involves the extraction, processing and sale of a historical monazite-rich tailings stockpile that is currently stored in a mining void at Eneabba. Iluka has taken an incremental approach to Eneabba’s development comprising three key phases.

Phase 1 of the development commenced operating in 2020. This produced a mixed monazite-zircon concentrate, with the monazite fraction at approximately 20%

Phase 2 construction commenced in 2021 and is scheduled for commissioning by first half 2022. This will produce two separate concentrates: a zircon-ilmenite concentrate, to be further processed as part of Iluka’s traditional mineral sands operations at Narngulu; and a dedicated 90% monazite concentrate suitable as a direct feed to a rare earths refinery. The monazite concentrate could be sold or could form the basis of feedstock for Iluka’s own rare earth refinery.

Phase 3 involves the development of a fully integrated rare earths refinery at Eneabba. In 2021 work progressed on the Feasibility Study for Phase 3, with completion planned for Q1 2022(1). The refinery would have the capability to process feedstocks from within Iluka’s portfolio as well as concentrates supplied by third parties, producing separated rare earth oxides.

If it existed today, Eneabba Phase 3 would be the only operational refinery of its type in the Western world. Phase 3 presents an opportunity to establish a strategic processing hub for the further growth of Australia’s rare earths industry.

The mining will be campaigned and require a Front End Loader (FEL) to move the by-product from the stockpile and feed into a mobile screening plant. A bulldozer will be required for short periods of time to push the top of the by-product stockpile down to enable safe access by the FEL. Once dry screened, the material will be loaded into dump trucks and dumped near the Wet Screening Plant (WSP) for processing.

Mining of the thin layer of waste capping material covering the stockpile will be conducted using a truck and shovel fleet.

Grade control will occur during the mining process, with daily sampling to analyse materials for blending. Blending and grade control will occur during the mobile screening process within the pit. The heavy mineral sand is easily distinguishable from the underlying yellow clayey sand and as such minimal dilution or ore loss is expected.

The project is proposed to be developed in two phases:

Phase 1 of the project involves extraction and sale of zircon-monazite concentrate via a simple process. The project has received Board approval and is underpinned by an offtake agreement for 50 thousand tonnes of concentrate per annum for 2 years.

The mining will be campaigned and require a Front End Loader (FEL) to move the by-product from the stockpile and feed into a mobile screening plant. A bulldozer will be required for short periods of time to push the top of the by-product stockpile down to enable safe access by the FEL. Once dry screened, the material will be loaded into dump trucks and dumped near the Wet Screening Plant (WSP) for processing.

Material stockpiled is fed into the WSP by an FEL. The WSP completes primary separation of any remaining oversize material and from any fine clay/slimes. The WSP uses a wet vibrating screen to remove any material above 1mm in particle size.
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