en.Wedoany.com Reported - Iltani Resources (ASX: ILT) has completed its first ore sorting test at the Orient silver-indium project in Queensland, Australia, using X-ray transmission (XRT) technology, achieving significant grade improvement and waste rejection.

XRT ore sorting leverages the density contrast between sulfide mineralization and surrounding siliceous host rock to enhance grade and remove substantial waste. TOMRA tested high-grade and low-grade reverse circulation chip samples in the 6 to 25 mm size fraction after screening, evaluating the technology's effectiveness in upgrading Orient mineralization.

The high-grade sample achieved a 58% waste rejection rate with an average upgrade factor of 2.1 times, with silver increasing from 130 g/t to 265 g/t and indium from 199 g/t to 427 g/t. The low-grade sample achieved a 96% waste rejection rate with upgrade factors ranging from 11.5 to 16.1 times, with silver rising from 26 g/t to 325 g/t and indium from 27 g/t to 437 g/t.

Managing Director Donald Garner stated that the project tested both high-grade and low-grade samples to assess the suitability of the Orient project for ore sorting, and the results clearly demonstrate that the technology is viable and highly effective, with particularly impressive grade improvements in zinc (11.5 times) and indium (16.1 times) for the low-grade sample. He noted that the sorting success is attributed to the strong density contrast between sulfide mineralization and siliceous host rock, as well as the coarse-grained nature of sulfide distribution in the test material.

Garner mentioned that ore sorting technology can reduce upfront capital costs through smaller processing plants and tailings facilities, while also lowering operating costs by reducing the amount of waste rock passing through the plant. Iltani Resources is planning a 7-hole PQ diamond drilling program to generate samples for comprehensive batch sorting tests at TOMRA's Sydney facility, evaluating sorting performance across multiple size fractions and mineralization types.

The Orient project has a JORC Mineral Resource estimate of 34.2 million tonnes at grades of 31.3 g/t silver, 16.9 g/t indium, 0.74% lead, and 0.90% zinc, making it Australia's largest known silver-indium deposit. Iltani Resources is an exploration company advancing the Orient project in Far North Queensland and holds other base metal exploration assets in Queensland.