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[Ferro-Alloys.com] Black Canyon update- DSO manganese potential at Wandanya

Highlights

• Direct Shipping Ore (DSO) quality products achieved from initial crush and screen/sizing testwork for the high-grade manganese oxide and high-grade iron composites.

• High quality specification DSO potential with low deleterious content for both the high-grade manganese oxide (HG MnO) and high-grade iron composites (HG Fe).

• Stage 1 crush and particle sizing analysis returned strong results from the five manganese (oxide and carbonate) and two iron oxide composites tested with particle sizing and assay distributions demonstrating favourable upgrading trends.

• Size fraction assay results show higher manganese grades reporting to the coarser size fractions (+10mm to 38mm) across all three manganese oxide composites correlating to higher manganese recoveries.

• Stage 2 Heavy Liquid Separation (HLS) testwork is planned for the low and medium grade manganese oxide composites with initial sizing and assay trends supporting grade improvement using density-based separation.

• Field team mobilising to Wandanya to commence pre-drill site works in preparation for 15,000m of planned infill and expansion RC drilling.

• Significant cash in bank with $10.5m at the end of the December 2025 quarter to support ongoing exploration and project development activities with high impact news flow planned over the next 3 to 6 months.

Australian manganese explorer and developer, Black Canyon Limited (Black Canyon or the Company) is pleased to announce the results from the crush, sizing and assay metallurgical testwork from PQ3 diamond drill core composites from across the Wandanya Project.

A total of 5 manganese composites comprising 3 manganese oxide and 2 manganese carbonate composites were selected based on grade and geology. A total of 2 iron oxide composites were also selected based on grade. The metallurgical testwork follows up on the initial heavy liquid separation testwork that achieved a high-quality manganese concentrate over 44% Mn using a specific gravity (SG) or liquid density of 2.85g/cm3, with an overall recovery of 80%1,2.

The metallurgical testwork has demonstrated key benefits of the mineralisation discovered at Wandanya, including;

1. High potential to produce a DSO product for both the high-grade manganese oxide and iron products

2. Very low concentrations of deleterious elements associated with the DSO products

3. Particle sizing and assay distributions demonstrate favourable upgrading trends with manganese oxide preferentially reporting to the coarse crushed fractions.

4. High manganese content in the coarser size fractions should positively impact the application of density-based techniques to upgrade lower and medium grade manganese composites.

The second stage of the metallurgical testwork has commenced using Heavy Liquid Separation (HLS) techniques on the lower and medium grade manganese samples which will be followed up with larger scale Dense Media Separation (DMS). This provides valuable beneficiation characteristic information for the lower and medium grade manganese mineralisation discovered at Wandanya using DMS that is routinely used at the Woodie Woodie operation on similar feed grades.

Black Canyon’s Managing Director Brendan Cummins said:

“The crush and sizing testwork completed on manganese and iron composites from Wandanya provided further confidence the project can produce high-quality DSO manganese and iron products. The lower and medium grade manganese composite samples also delivered positive trends with high manganese grades reporting to the coarser fractions which bodes well for the Stage 2 HLS beneficiation testwork.

“Similarly, the quality of the iron products is demonstrated with early indications from both the medium and high-grade composites that a high portion of the crushed sample is reporting to a lump sized range with low deleterious elements such as aluminium, silica and phosphorous.

“The key to a successful mine development and in particular bulk commodities is simplicity. The Wandanya discovery has continued to demonstrate from its inception a simple geological model showing widespread, continuous and shallow mineralisation which will lend itself to low strip and low-cost mining. Based on the sizing, grade and recovery characteristics of the Wandanya manganese and iron composites, conceptually the process flowsheet will comprise a simple crush/screen for the DSO manganese and iron products with lower and mid-grade manganese mineralisation requiring beneficiation using a density-based technique such as DMS which should have a positive impact on the project operating costs.”

“We look forward to the completion of the metallurgical testwork program and the commencement of the field season with a combination of infill and expansion drilling planned over the next 3 to 6 months.”

Next Steps

Further metallurgical testwork has commenced with the low and medium grade manganese composites subjected to the following tests:

1. Benchtop scale Heavy Liquid Separation (HLS) on selected size fractions and assay analysis

2. Larger scale Dense Media Separation (DMS) and assay analysis.

The iron samples are to be tested for strength, durability, and degradation characteristics of ore lumps under impact using drop tower tests.

At the conclusion of the test work program the data will be reviewed, and further metallurgical tests may be recommended.

Field programs are commencing with establishment of the field camp, commencement of drill line clearing and the mobilisation of the RC rig for the 15,000m program scheduled for early April. The rig will be drilling extensions to the north and east of the current 3km already delineated and infill drilling. Other surveys planned to commence in Q2 include detailed flora/vegetation, fauna, short range endemics (SRE) and further heritage surveys.

• [Editor:tianyawei]