U3O8 Corp.'s Test Work Simplifies Proposed Uranium-Vanadium Extraction from its Laguna Salada Deposit
Original announcement by tmx on
- Company
- U3O8 Corp.
- Ticker
- UWE
- Exchange
- TSX
- Region
- Argentina
- Primary commodity
- Uranium
- Secondary commodities
- Vanadium
- Document categories
- Metallurgy
- Extracted
- 2026-08-21 12:56:01 UTC
Analysis by Minestarters Atlas
Minestarters Atlas analysis
Summary
U3O8 Corp. reported positive metallurgical test results for its Laguna Salada deposit in Argentina, demonstrating that a simplified process can effectively remove gypsum (sulphate) from the gravel. This simplification is expected to reduce both capital and operating costs by eliminating or reducing expensive dewatering circuits.
Reasoning: The test work demonstrates that a significantly simpler process can achieve comparable gypsum rejection (78%) to the complex process used in the PEA, which could materially reduce capital and operating costs.
Positive factors
- Process simplification potential
- Reduction in CAPEX/OPEX
- High gypsum rejection achieved with coarser mesh
Negative factors
- Test scale is bulk sample/bench scale
Facts used in scoring: 3
Classification and evidence
Mill Routeneutral
Processing via mill or concentrator (CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation).
Why it applies: The process involves washing and sieving fine material, which is a component of mill/concentrator processing.
Evidence · text
“washed with water in a rotating barrel for 5 minutes”
Bench Scale Onlynegative
Only preliminary bench tests completed — no locked-cycle or pilot work.
Why it applies: The test work involved washing a sample in a rotating barrel and sieving, which is preliminary bench-scale work.
Evidence · text
“washed with water in a rotating barrel for 5 minutes”
Extracted facts
Stored fact records: 3. Some facts used in scoring do not have a stored record.
Metallurgical Results (3)
washing and screeninguraniumRecovery: 89 %View all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- uranium
- Ticker
- UWE
Test Work
- Program Status
- optimization
- Test Type
- washing and screening
- Processing Route
- washing and screening
- Sample
- Laguna Salada gravel, fine material passing 0.85mm mesh
Recovery
- Recovery
- 89 %
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
Lab
- Laboratory
- ANSTO
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2019-03-22T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: 89% of the uranium was recovered into the fine material passing the 0.85mm screen.
Positive factors
- High recovery of uranium into the fine fraction
Evidence · text
“25% of the gravel passed through the 0.85mm mesh, along with 89% of the gravel's uranium”
washing and screeningvanadiumRecovery: 46 %View all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- vanadium
- Ticker
- UWE
Test Work
- Program Status
- optimization
- Test Type
- washing and screening
- Processing Route
- washing and screening
- Sample
- Laguna Salada gravel, fine material passing 0.85mm mesh
Recovery
- Recovery
- 46 %
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
Lab
- Laboratory
- ANSTO
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2019-03-22T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Only 46% of the vanadium was recovered into the fine material passing the 0.85mm screen.
Negative factors
- Lower recovery compared to uranium
Evidence · text
“25% of the gravel passed through the 0.85mm mesh, along with ... 46% of its vanadium”
washing and screeninguraniumRecovery: 78 %View all detailsHide details
Identity
- Commodity
- uranium
- Ticker
- UWE
Test Work
- Program Status
- optimization
- Test Type
- washing and screening
- Processing Route
- washing and screening
- Sample
- Laguna Salada gravel, gypsum removal test
Recovery
- Recovery
- 78 %
- Recovery Basis
- actual_test
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2019-03-22T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Achieved 78% gypsum rejection using a 0.85mm screen, comparable to the 75% achieved with a 0.075mm screen in the PEA.
Positive factors
- High gypsum rejection with simple process
Evidence · text
“The screening described in step 2, followed by washing the fine component of the gravel with water, removed 78% of the gypsum”
How Atlas produces this analysis
Minestarters Atlas uses automated extraction to summarize mining announcements, identify reported measurements, and classify supporting evidence. Sentiment reflects the extracted narrative and classification rules; it is an interpretation, not a reported measurement. Evidence quotes and context are provided where available. Missing data, low-confidence results, and review flags indicate limitations. Check the original publisher announcement before relying on an interpretation.