Metallurgical test work on samples from Akora Resources’ (ASX: AKO) flagship Bekisopa iron ore discovery in Madagascar has confirmed the ore’s upgrade potential and improved the company’s confidence in increasing the project’s mine life and tonnages.

Bekisopa contains intermediate-grade direct shipping ore (DSO) mineralisation, which ranges in grade from 40% to 58% iron and typically sits adjacent to and underlying the identified high-grade DSO resource.

The company prepared five samples from numerous drill core sections across the project’s northern, central and southern resource areas.

Material upgrade

Test work using basic dry magnetic separation techniques confirmed that material at a coarse crush product size averaging 52.8% iron could be upgraded to a lump product grading 59.2% at 80.8% recovery, while material averaging 50.3% iron could be upgraded to a 60.8% fines product at 88% recovery.

The testing – part of the Bekisopa pre-feasibility study (PFS) due for release in March – provides the opportunity for Akora to include the intermediate material in an updated mineral resource estimate.

The results support mineral processing tests in December confirming that Bekisopa’s lump and fines split could potentially deliver two DSO products to blast furnace steelmakers.

Stage 1 DSO operation

Akora is advancing plans to develop a Stage 1 DSO operation to produce up to 2 million tonnes per annum of high-grade lump and fines product from Bekisopa’s near-surface weathered zone mineralisation.

Managing director Paul Bibby said ongoing workstreams for the PFS continue to show encouraging results and build on a robust scoping study released in November 2023.

“The more lump iron ore product we can deliver, the better, as it is the preferred feed material for blast furnace steelmakers and the higher grades attract a premium price which would considerably enhance Bekisopa’s financials,” he said.

“These upgraded results could add saleable lump and fines product tonnes and additional mine life to our DSO operation.”