Viking Mines (ASX:VKA) has confirmed that ore sorting technology has successfully produced high-grade tungsten products at its Linka Tungsten Project in Nevada, United States, following assay results from test work conducted on samples from the site. The company previously announced visual scheelite intercepts from maiden drilling at Linka earlier in August 2026. Ore sorting test work utilising TOMRA X-ray transmission (XRT) technology has now demonstrated grade increases of up to 4.1 times the feed grade, with tungsten recoveries reaching 93% across two samples tested.
The Conquest Pit sample produced a high-grade product grading 1.91% WO3 (tungsten trioxide), approximately 3.1 times the calculated feed grade of 0.61% WO3. This high-grade product contained 27.3% of the tungsten while representing just 8.8% of the mass. The Linka Stockpile sample delivered an even higher upgrade ratio, with the high-grade product grading 1.83% WO3 at approximately 4.1 times the feed grade of 0.45% WO3.
Both samples produced low-grade reject streams grading approximately 0.2% WO3, demonstrating the technology's capability to screen waste material from low-grade stockpiles and upgrade material to ore-grade feed. Managing Director Julian Woodcock stated that the results confirm observations from visual inspection in June and demonstrate the technology's flexibility in prioritising either grade uplift or tungsten recovery. When combined with unsorted fines, the sorted products provide multiple feed options.
The Conquest Pit sample delivers 1.2 to 1.7 times the feed grade at tungsten recoveries of 62.1% to 93%. The Linka Stockpile sample achieves 1.3 to 1.4 times the feed grade with recoveries up to 85.9%. Each sample was processed through a three-stage cascade sorting configuration using TOMRA's XRT platform, producing four output streams: high-grade inclusions, low-grade inclusions, CONTAIN inclusions, and low-grade material.
The company indicates that ore sorting could provide two distinct value sources: pre-concentration of run-of-mine feed to lift plant feed grade and upgrading of existing surface stockpiles to convert lower-grade material into viable plant feed. Viking is currently completing gravity and flotation test work on the sorted products at Base Met Labs to assess downstream processing effectiveness. These results will be integrated into the conceptual processing flowsheet being developed by Mineral Technologies for a 300,000 tonnes per annum processing model.
Source: Mining.com.au, 20 August 2026. Written by JC Villarba.
Source: mining.com.au