Project description and overview:

EQ Resources Ltd (EQR) will transform low-grade ore and historic mine waste into economic and sustainable sources of critical minerals through X-ray sorting technology (XRT). This technology has proven to be a suitable process solution with optimisation recently conducted with Mt Carbine’s pilot unit. EQR will commercialise the process and upskill its labour force to be able to operate a large-scale XRT sorting operation for tungsten recovery from its historic mine waste.

The project will comprise of the installation of a hyperspectral imaging (HSI) sensor that will be mounted to front-end loaders extracting material from the waste stockpile. The HSI technology is customised to the project and waste material characteristics and will deliver highly accurate real-time data on material properties.

Using artificial intelligence, process feed material will be evaluated by characterising tungsten containing rock from barren material, for immediate decision on further processing material to the XRT sorting plant, or for waste disposal. The combined technology application will maximise separation efficiency and thus enable cost efficient mine waste reprocessing enabling sustainable critical minerals production.

The project will improve sector confidence in adopting XRT sorting methods for processing heterogeneous low-grade materials, drive economic growth and mine rehabilitation in Australia. The project incorporates innovative machinery to recycle mine waste materials, while a successful commercialisation will expand the mining sector’s competitiveness and sustainability. The project outcome is the production of primary produced tungsten – which currently is non-existing in Australia.