WA1 unlocks high-grade niobium concentrates
WA1 Resources has strengthened the development case for its Luni niobium project in Western Australia after reporting strong beneficiation testwork results from across the deposit.
The latest metallurgical program demonstrated that a scaled-up two-stage flotation process using raw site water can produce high-grade niobium concentrates with robust recovery rates.
Open-cycle bulk flotation testing across four representative composites delivered a weighted average concentrate grading 44 per cent niobium oxide (Nb₂O₅) at 54 per cent recovery. The strongest performance came from composite A, which returned a concentrate grading 46 per cent Nb₂O₅ at 67 per cent recovery.
Composite A covers an area in the eastern portion of the deposit that is being assessed as a potential source of feed during the initial years of mining.
“Luni has already demonstrated world-class grade and scale. These beneficiation results provide further confidence in the deposit’s excellent metallurgical characteristics and support the two-stage flotation regime for mineralisation across Luni,” WA1 Resources managing director Paul Savich said.
“Importantly, composite A represents the key target area for the early years of a potential mining operation and has delivered exceptional outcomes.”
The company said the testwork builds on earlier programs that confirmed the suitability of conventional niobium flotation techniques. Recent efforts have expanded the sample base and increased test scale to better reflect the variability of mineralisation across the resource.
According to WA1, flotation remains the critical beneficiation step in producing a concentrate suitable for downstream refining and conversion into ferroniobium products.
The company is continuing optimisation work on composites B, C and D, alongside refining and end-product development programs. Outcomes from the ongoing studies will feed into mine planning, process design, infrastructure definition and product development activities.
“Today’s results are the output from almost three years of systematic testwork and we are very pleased with the progress made across our geological and metallurgical workstreams,” Savich said.
The Luni pre-feasibility study remains on track for completion in the fourth quarter of 2026.