In an upbeat update, VRX Silica Limited (ASX:VRX) announced the maiden mineral resource for its Boyatup Silica Sand Project in Western Australia. VRX delineates 60Mt @ 97.8% SiO₂ at Boyatup, taking the company’s total mineral resource to approximately 1.12 billion tonnes.

VRX Silica operates four high-grade silica sand projects in WA- Arrowsmith North & Arrowsmith Central, Muchea and Boyatup.

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Silica Sand Projects of VRX (Image source: VRX update, 18 August 2022)

The Boyatup Project comprises two granted exploration licences. In March 2022, the company undertook an auger and vacuum drilling program over the project tenure. A total of 46 holes were drilled using hand-held auger drilling and 160 holes under the vacuum drilling program.

The drilling operation was completed in a 400mX800m grid, and the company intersected high-quality silica sand. Also, drilling defined a band of mixed yellow and white sand above a clay or gravel layer.

The silica sand identified at Boyatup is different in nature to the existing deposits identified at other projects. The company believes the project has the potential to open new supply markets. Also, VRX has plans to use the Esperance Port for the export of Boyatup sands, which has handled Cape size vessels of up to 200,000 tonnes.

Data source: VRX update, 18 August 2022

Metallurgical testwork confirms glass-grade silica

VRX has completed the initial metallurgical testwork over drill samples from the Boyatup Project. The testwork confirmed that the project can be upgraded using a simple flowchart to produce the glass-grade silica sand of appropriate particle size.

The metallurgical testwork confirmed that in-situ silica sand can be upgraded to glass-grade quality. 

Mineral analysis and PSD on Boyatup sand samples (Image source: VRX update, 18 August 2022)

Points considered while estimating the MRE

• The Mineral Resource is quoted over VRX Silica tenements above the defined basal surface and below the overburden surface layer using an interpolated 40-meter grid.
• The Mineral Resource is estimated between the geologically logged clay/gravel basal layer and an overburden of 300mm, which was omitted for rehabilitation needs. The ultimate resource was based on a depth of greater than 1.0m after modelling at many minimum mineable depths.
• Since sand is easily beneficiated to a suitable product specification by a relatively simple metallurgical procedure, as shown by the initial reported metallurgical testing results, no cut-off parameters have been used. Inverse distance squared weighting was used to estimate grades.
• The Mineral Resource classification was done on the basis of drill hole logs, drill hole sample analytical data, drill spacing, geostatistical analysis, confidence in geological continuity, and metallurgical/process test results.

What’s next?

VRX is planning a comprehensive metallurgical testwork program over Boyatup to determine potential products, which can be produced. Once they are determined, the company will commence a market study to understand the economic value of the project.