NeoTerra Group (LSE:TERA), the African critical minerals exploration and development company, said initial hydrometallurgy testing at its Monte Muambe project in Mozambique delivered 85% gallium extraction using an acid leaching route.
The result, from testing carried out by SGS Lakefields, also showed good selectivity against silica, a factor that matters for downstream processing economics.
Separately, testwork by Comex confirmed that X-Ray Transmission technology can identify and separate gallium-bearing feldspar, which carries the gallium and makes up about 30% of the rock mass, from other minerals, opening a pathway to pre-concentration ahead of leaching.
Both results are preliminary, and NeoTerra said further metallurgical work is needed to confirm the viability of gallium recovery at the site.
Next steps include additional Comex testing to quantify the real-world upgrade achievable with ore sorters using XRT and SWIR sensors, alongside an assessment of X-Ray Fluorescence technology for further feldspar separation.
On the hydrometallurgy side, upcoming test runs will focus on defining leaching conditions and recovery options from the leachate.
Once confident in a viable process, NeoTerra plans a drilling campaign aimed at expanding its current resource of 11.73 million tonnes at 54.7g/t Ga2O3 toward 50 million tonnes or more, supported by mapped gallium soil anomalies.
"NeoTerra is a trailblazer as far as gallium recovery from a carbonatite complex is concerned," said chief executive Cedric Simonet, adding the work follows the company's May resource publication, one of the first carbonatite-hosted gallium resources disclosed.
The gallium workstream will run alongside the company's US-funded rare earths programme and fluorspar mine development, without affecting either timeline.
News Intelligence what this means for the company
NeoTerra has delivered on a key milestone: initial gallium hydrometallurgical results showing 85% extraction via acid leaching, validating a processing route for its Monte Muambe carbonatite deposit in Mozambique. The company has also confirmed that X-Ray Transmission can pre-concentrate gallium-bearing feldspar (30% of ore) before leaching, de-risking the flowsheet. Both results are preliminary and further testwork is required, but the dual pathways—pre-concentration plus acid leaching—now give NeoTerra a credible technical foundation to pursue resource expansion from 11.73 million tonnes toward 50 million tonnes or more.
The 85% extraction rate and silica selectivity reduce technical risk around gallium recovery economics at Monte Muambe, a material step toward prefeasibility. However, the company explicitly states further metallurgical work is needed to confirm viability, and the resource remains early-stage; the path from testwork to a development decision remains long and capital-intensive.
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