@seals please link the quoted interview, describing the "recovery acid solution being as weak as vinegar" is most instructive and directly points to highly economic recovery potential before even adding ammonia-sulphate. Vinegar is ~5-10% acetic acid by volume, any higher concentration is considerably more corrosive, dangerous and not sold as 'vinegar' obviously. 10% acetic acid is the strong end-member of vinegar with a pH=2.4.... these are facts.
If Mark Major says 70% recoveries are achieved with "weak as vinegar solution" I'm buying KTA to either make good coin on great recoveries or fair compensation in a future class action if he's grossly misrepresenting the situation to pump the stock. Great win-win set up. pH=2.4 is 14 times less acidic than pH=1, which Makuutu needed to achieve 43% average REO recoveries and only after adding ammonia sulphate, the actual active leaching ingredient. 70% recoveries with 14 times lower acidity and no ammonium sulphate is a bloody fantastic outcome comparable with Chinese ICD deposits if true.
Being the most cynical poster on HC, I can't help but fact check management ramping because ASX junior ramping is rampant. Circumstantial evidence of the very high overall recoveries, including Ce, points to much more acidic conditions than 'vinegar'. Also consider this:
MRD used ALS Laboratory’s ME-MS41W with
MS41W-REE weak aqua regia digest, which they disclosed in fine print front page, Note 2," AR means Weak aqua regia acid, a mix of 1 molar hydrochloric acid (HCl) and 1 molar nitric acid (HNO3)." (pH=0 as per previous post...140 times more acidic than pH=2.4).
6A1057235_MRD.pdf (hotcopper.com.au)KTA (page 18 JORC table) also used ALS WAR digest "Analysis reported from ME-MS41W (including
MS41W-REE) using weak acid aqua regia digestion" but do not disclose the acid molarity anywhere. Is it possible ALS watered down the WAR for KTA for their MS41W-REE analysis process compared to that used for MRD?
Possible, WAR can be watered down to any point over a large pH range and the client gets what they want and pay for. Maybe MRD asked for a far more acidic WAR ( pH=0) to make sure recovery results were high and the market got sizzling (tick... passes my cynical filter), where KTA gambled on a very weakest WAR (pH=2.4) to see what the lowest possible recoveries would be (cross... fails my cynical filter)? If KTA asked for "weak as vinegar" WAR, why not headline in bold with the announcement instead of saying nothing about WAR acidity anywhere in the release?
Bulls going to believe what they want, I like to see some facts.
