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The project, named after private explorer Salazar Minerals which defined the Newmont and O'Connor deposits, already has a substantial REE endowment, including the only indicated clay-hosted resource in Australia, but its potential economics could look better with maiden inferred resources for titanium dioxide and alumina.
Titanium is estimated at 29 million tonnes grading 5%, while the alumina that can potentially be updated to high-purity alumina is 4Mt at 29.6%.
The resources are partly included in the 83Mt at 1117 parts per million total rare earth oxide Newmont deposit, the smaller of the two at Salazar where total REE resources are 190Mt at 1172ppm TREO.
Testwork successful
West Cobar's metallurgical work shows a titanium-REE concentrate can be produced using wet magnetic recovery separation with recoveries of almost 55%.
Tests continue to assess the best flow sheet, including the potential for conventional mineral sands processing.
The HPA feedstock can be produced from the kaolin material and delivered into a 99.99% feedstock.
Unique deposit
Managing director Matt Szwedzicki said it was clear Newmont was a unique clay-host deposit, with more to offer than its just basket of magnet REEs, primarily high levels of dysprosium and terbium.
While they make up 3% and 0.5% respectively of the total REE content respectively, they represent about 40% of the basket value.
Past work with ANSTO has confirmed flotation and acid leaching at moderate temperatures can be used to recover the rare earths, scandium and gallium.
The Salazar project is about 200km from the port of Esperance.
West Cobar shares have traded at 6.8-29c, and were last priced at 7.5c, capitalising the explorer at $7 million.
