Airijoki Vanadium Project - Sweden

Airijoki Vanadium Project

 

The Airijoki Project lies within the Vittangi Greenstone Group (VGG) of northern Sweden, in relative proximity to established infrastructure as well as several significant mines (i.e. Kiruna, Svapparvaara, Leveäniemi and Mertainen) and other new energy mineral projects (i.e. Talga Group’s Vittangi graphite project).  Geologically the Project is centred on a laterally continuous, northeast trending gabbroic (locally termed diabase) intrusion which hosts vanadium-magnetite mineralisation along with lesser base metal (predominantly copper mineralisation).

 

Airijoki is currently supported by an Inferred Mineral Resource comprising 44.3 Mt at an in-situ grade of 0.4% V2O5, containing 5.9 Mt of magnetite averaging 1.7% V2O5 (in magnetite concentrate) for 100,800 t of contained V2O5 based on a 13.3% mass recovery of magnetite concentrate and a 0.7% V2O5 cut-off grade, on a 100% equity basis (and net attributable basis).

 

A 2023 drilling programme for 1.394m of drilling has the potential to increase the mineral resource to the northeast, with vanadium mineralisation confirmed over an additional 2km strike length from the northern boundary of the current resource, with seven out of eight holes drilled intersecting substantial vanadium intercepts.

 

Best intercepts from the drill programme are detailed below, and work is currently underway to produce an updated mineral resource estimate to progress towards a vanadium operation.

  • 0.52% V2O5 – whole rock (1.77% V2O5 – magnetite concentrate) over 28.80m from 77.55m in hole AIR23-003
    • incl. 0.72% V2O5 – whole rock (2.15% V2O5 – magnetite concentrate) over 12.00m from 89.50m
  • 0.43% V2O5 – whole rock (1.44% V2O5 – magnetite concentrate) over 19.15m from 75.85m in hole AIR23-008
  • 0.32% V2O5 – whole rock (1.42% V2O5 – magnetite concentrate) over 28.65m from 174.50m in AIR23-002
    • incl. 0.40% V2O5  – whole rock (1.75% V2O5 -magnetite concentrate) over 12 m from 186.5m

Previous Work

 

Davis Tube Recovery (DTR) and low-intensity magnetic separation (LIMS) test work indicated that vanadium magnetite concentrates grading over 2% V2O5 and more than 65% Fe are possible at mass recoveries over 20% from the vanadium mineralisation at Airijoki.  Overall, vanadium recoveries in excess of 70% can be achieved using a relatively coarse grind size of 355 µm and using LIMS without the need for further treatment.

 

Conceptual studies completed in 2019 envisage that Airijoki will be developed by bulk open pit mining techniques from four open pits using standard drill and blast, load/haul and crusher feed/magnetic separation to produce a vanadium magnetite concentrate. The conceptual techno-economic studies demonstrated the Project has the potential to be financially robust.  Further metallurgical test work, extensional and infill drilling and optimisation studies are warranted at Airijoki prior to more advanced techno-economic analysis.

Airijoki Project 1
Airijoki Project 2