Proactive Investors - Sovereign Metals Ltd (LON:SVML) has commenced a hydraulic mining trial at its Kasiya Rutile Project in Malawi to assess the effectiveness and environmental impact of high-pressure water techniques on a large-scale operation.
Part of its ongoing optimisation study, the work will be led by Fraser Alexander, a specialist in the field, and follows the successful completion of a dry mining evaluation in July.
Taking around three months, the assessment includes backfilling the main trial pit, as well as deposition and rehabilitation test work.
Previous assessments suggest the soft, friable nature of the Kasiya orebody is well-suited to hydraulic mining.
"With valuable insights gained from the dry-mining approach at Kasiya, we are now entering the next phase, which includes the commencement of the hydraulic mining tests, processing and backfilling material, and progressing towards the rehabilitation phase, which we expect to take three months to complete," said managing director Frank Eagar.
"Results from the Pilot Phase, in particular the analysis of dry-mining versus hydraulic mining, will be fundamental for the ongoing Optimisation Study."
In the same announcement, investors were told Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) has increased its shareholding in Sovereign to 19.9% through an additional investment of A$700,000.