Cobra's Wudinna Keeps 91% of Recovery on 40% Less Reagent
Original announcement by cruxinvestor on
- Company
- Cobra Resources
- Ticker
- COBR
- Exchange
- Unavailable
- Region
- South Australia
- Primary commodity
- Rare earth
- Secondary commodities
- Uranium
- Document categories
- Metallurgy, Economic study
- Extracted
- 2026-09-17 19:38:02 UTC
Analysis by Minestarters Atlas
Minestarters Atlas analysis
Summary
Cobra Resources has completed desorption testing at its Wudinna rare earth project, establishing a measured recovery curve for both the Boland and Head prospects. The tests demonstrate that significant NdPr and HREE recoveries can be maintained even with a 40% reduction in ammonium sulfate concentration or by using acidified groundwater alone.
Reasoning: The desorption test results provide a quantified technical envelope for the project's economics, replacing single-point assumptions with a measured response curve, which significantly de-risks the metallurgical component of the upcoming scoping study.
Positive factors
- Measured recovery curve established across multiple reagent strengths and pH levels
- High recovery retention (91%+) when reducing reagent concentration by 40%
- Significant 'reagent-free' floor established via acidified groundwater
- In situ recovery (ISR) method identified as cost-effective and amenable to mineralization
Negative factors
- Head prospect shows significantly lower absolute NdPr recovery compared to Boland
- Commercial reagent consumption and preferred operating conditions not yet determined
Facts used in scoring: 5
Classification and evidence
Mill Routeneutral
Processing via mill or concentrator (CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation).
Why it applies: The project utilizes in situ recovery (ISR) which is a solution-based extraction method.
Evidence · text
“That confinement lets the deposit be worked by in situ recovery (ISR), a method that dissolves the metal underground instead of excavating it.”
Bench Scale Onlynegative
Only preliminary bench tests completed — no locked-cycle or pilot work.
Why it applies: The results are derived from 24-hour desorption tests on bulk composites, which are bench-scale/screening level.
Evidence · text
“Bench-scale testing indicates the mineralization is amenable to ISR recovery techniques.”
Multi-Domain Testedpositive
Variability across ore domains (oxide, transition, fresh) has been addressed.
Why it applies: 2 distinct composites were tested
Extracted facts
Stored fact records: 5. Some facts used in scoring do not have a stored record.
Metallurgical Results (5)
desorption testsWudinna · neodymium and praseodymiumRecovery: 77 %Head Grade: 605Head Grade Unit: ppmView all detailsHide details
Identity
- Project
- Wudinna
- Commodity
- neodymium and praseodymium
- Region
- australia_sa
- Reported Region
- South Australia
- Ticker
- COBR
Test Work
- Program Status
- preliminary
- Test Type
- desorption tests
- Processing Route
- in situ recovery (ISR)
- Sample
- Boland composite, 0.5 M AMSUL, pH 3
Recovery
- Recovery
- 77 %
- Head Grade
- 605
- Head Grade Unit
- ppm
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-09-17T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: High recovery at full strength reagent concentration.
Evidence · text
“At pH 3, the Boland composite recovered 77% of its neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr)”
desorption testsWudinna · neodymium and praseodymiumRecovery: 70 %Head Grade: 605Head Grade Unit: ppmView all detailsHide details
Identity
- Project
- Wudinna
- Commodity
- neodymium and praseodymium
- Region
- australia_sa
- Reported Region
- South Australia
- Ticker
- COBR
Test Work
- Program Status
- preliminary
- Test Type
- desorption tests
- Processing Route
- in situ recovery (ISR)
- Sample
- Boland composite, 0.3 M AMSUL, pH 3
Recovery
- Recovery
- 70 %
- Head Grade
- 605
- Head Grade Unit
- ppm
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-09-17T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Demonstrates high efficiency in reagent reduction.
Positive factors
- Maintains 91% of the 0.5M recovery with 40% less reagent
Evidence · text
“Moving to 0.3 M, a 40% reduction in reagent concentration, returned 70% NdPr”
desorption testsWudinna · neodymium and praseodymiumRecovery: 51 %Head Grade: 605Head Grade Unit: ppmView all detailsHide details
Identity
- Project
- Wudinna
- Commodity
- neodymium and praseodymium
- Region
- australia_sa
- Reported Region
- South Australia
- Ticker
- COBR
Test Work
- Program Status
- preliminary
- Test Type
- desorption tests
- Processing Route
- in situ recovery (ISR)
- Sample
- Boland composite, acidified groundwater (no AMSUL), pH 3
Recovery
- Recovery
- 51 %
- Head Grade
- 605
- Head Grade Unit
- ppm
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-09-17T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Provides a baseline for minimum reagent-free recovery.
Positive factors
- Establishes a significant recovery floor without external reagent
Evidence · text
“acidified site groundwater with no added AMSUL still recovered 51% NdPr”
desorption testsWudinna · neodymium and praseodymiumRecovery: 40 %Head Grade: 706Head Grade Unit: ppmView all detailsHide details
Identity
- Project
- Wudinna
- Commodity
- neodymium and praseodymium
- Region
- australia_sa
- Reported Region
- South Australia
- Ticker
- COBR
Test Work
- Program Status
- preliminary
- Test Type
- desorption tests
- Processing Route
- in situ recovery (ISR)
- Sample
- Head composite, 0.5 M AMSUL, pH 3
Recovery
- Recovery
- 40 %
- Head Grade
- 706
- Head Grade Unit
- ppm
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-09-17T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Lower absolute recovery levels at the Head prospect.
Negative factors
- Significantly lower absolute recovery compared to Boland
Evidence · text
“At 0.5 M and pH 3, the Head prospect recovered 40% NdPr”
desorption testsWudinna · uraniumRecovery: 5 %View all detailsHide details
Identity
- Project
- Wudinna
- Commodity
- uranium
- Region
- australia_sa
- Reported Region
- South Australia
- Ticker
- COBR
Test Work
- Program Status
- preliminary
- Test Type
- desorption tests
- Processing Route
- in situ recovery (ISR)
- Sample
- Boland composite, 0.5 M vs 0.0 M AMSUL, pH 3
Recovery
- Recovery
- 5 %
Review
- Needs Review
- No
- Historical
- No
Dates
- Event date
- 2026-09-17T00:00:00.000Z
Reasoning: Shows uranium recovery is highly sensitive to reagent presence.
Negative factors
- Uranium recovery drops significantly when reagent is removed
Evidence · text
“reducing AMSUL from 0.5 M to 0.0 M reduced uranium recovery from 29% to 5%”
How Atlas produces this analysis
Minestarters Atlas uses automated extraction to summarize mining announcements, identify reported measurements, and classify supporting evidence. Sentiment reflects the extracted narrative and classification rules; it is an interpretation, not a reported measurement. Evidence quotes and context are provided where available. Missing data, low-confidence results, and review flags indicate limitations. Check the original publisher announcement before relying on an interpretation.