Major Metallurgical Advancement at the Kennedy Rare Earths Deposit, Queensland
- Noel Ong
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Announcement
Major metallurgical advancement - Kennedy Rare Earth Deposit 24 November 2025 (click here to view the announcement)
DevEx Resources Ltd (ASX: DEV) has reported new heap leach column test results that materially enhance the extraction outlook for critical Magnetic Rare Earth Elements (MREEs) from the Kennedy ionic clay-hosted system. The Kennedy Rare Earths Project, located in North Queensland approximately 50km south of Mount Garnet and connected to Townsville’s port and infrastructure corridor, has delivered a significant step forward in its metallurgical understanding (Figure 1). These results strengthen the project’s positioning as one of Australia’s emerging rare earth clay prospects.
Figure 1: Kennedy Rare Earths Project Location and Infrastructure. (source: DEV)
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The Business of the Company: Focus – Rare Earths - Clay-Hosted.
(Figure 2)
DevEx Resources continues to advance its 100%-owned Kennedy Ionic Adsorption Clay-Hosted REE Project through systematic drilling, metallurgical test work, and expanding the understanding of the Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE).
Kennedy contains high-value MREOs: Praseodymium, Neodymium, Dysprosium, and Terbium.
The entire Inferred MRE sits in soft, unconsolidated clays beginning at surface, supporting low-cost mining potential.
Testing is now focused on validating a simplified heap leach processing pathway using ammonium sulphate (AMSUL).
Broader exploration opportunities exist to the south-west, where broad-spaced drilling indicates further extensions.
Figure 2: Extent of the Kennedy Inferred MRE and Bulk Sample Drill Coverage. (source: DEV)
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Highlights – Major Metallurgical Advancement from Heap Leach Column Tests
1. Strong Magnet Rare Earth Recoveries
Column leach tests delivered 67% and 68% total MREE recoveries, a material improvement over earlier diagnostic test work.
The system shows consistent extraction across Pr, Nd, Dy, and Tb.
Cerium recovery remained <5%, which is favourable as Ce is a low-value component.
Vertical flow of AMSUL (ammonium sulphate) solution was excellent, as demonstrated in the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)’s column test work, confirming favourable physical characteristics for a heap leach design (Figure 3).
Figure 3: ANSTO Facilities, Column Setup and Agglomeration (source: DEV)
2. Representative Composite Sample Validated
Results were derived from a 127 kg composite homogenised from 68 drill holes, representing a broad cross-section of the Inferred MRE and confirming consistency across the deposit (Table 1).
Two 2-metre-high columns were used, irrigated over 37 days.
Table 1: Head Grade of Composite Sample 1 used for Column Leach Test Work
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3. Low Acid Consumption
Acid consumption measured only 6–8 kg/t, which is exceptionally low for clay-hosted REE systems and may translate into materially lower operating cost inputs (Table 2).
Table 2: Heap Leach Column Tests – Final MREE Extraction
Low impurity extraction was observed, supporting the potential for cleaner downstream processing and reduced purification complexity (Table 3).
Table 3: Heap Leach Column Tests – Final TREE4 Extraction
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About the Project
Kennedy is an ionic adsorption clay-hosted REE deposit containing high-value MREOs essential for permanent magnet manufacturing in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and renewable technologies.
Key geological and metallurgical features:
Surface-hosted clays require no overburden removal.
Unconsolidated materials with pisolites and nodules dispersed throughout.
Rapid desorption of REEs using weakly acidic AMSUL solutions (pH 3–4).
Excellent vertical flow and agglomeration characteristics support heap leach scalability.
Potential for expansion, with wide-spaced drilling pointing to new zones requiring follow-up (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Wireframe (light red) for Inferred MRE at 325ppm TREO-CeO2 cut-off and air-core/RAB drilling looking north-west. (source: DEV)
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Near-term Milestones to Watch
Further optimisation of leach parameters to enhance MREE recovery while controlling impurity dissolution.
Ongoing assessment of acid addition strategy to achieve the most efficient recovery-cost balance.
Continued exploration, particularly south-west of the existing resource outline, to test for additional mineralised clay horizons.
Advancement of project development pathways incorporating updated metallurgical understanding.
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How Samso Understands the Investment Memo for the Company
The latest metallurgical work materially strengthens the project narrative for Kennedy. These results show that DevEx is advancing its technical foundations. The project’s attributes—surface clays, soft material, simple leach chemistry, and low acid consumption—are shaping an early picture of a potentially cost-efficient extraction pathway.
The consistency across broad drill coverage provides confidence in the deposit’s uniform metallurgical response. For investors, Kennedy remains a long-term, methodical development story requiring continued optimisation and exploration to define scale, economics, and positioning within Australia’s evolving REE landscape.
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Samso Concluding Comments
The Kennedy Project offers an intriguing combination of shallow mineralisation, favourable metallurgy, and proximity to established infrastructure—factors that collectively shape the early potential of a clay-hosted REE system. The 67–68% MREE recovery range is meaningful for a first round of column test work and signals potential for improvement through optimisation.
From a development perspective, the low acid consumption reduces operational risk and may influence future economic modelling positively. This level of reagent efficiency is not common across clay-hosted rare earth deposits globally, and the implications for downstream purification circuits are equally important.
DevEx continues to benefit from structured, methodical technical work undertaken in partnership with ANSTO and process engineering specialists. This approach reduces uncertainty and increases clarity around the project’s pathway.
That said, Kennedy is still at an early stage. Future work will need to verify scalability, consistency across expanded drill grids, and economic competitiveness within the broader REE sector. Investors should appreciate the long-term nature of such developments, particularly in a market where strategic positioning and cost structure will ultimately determine a project’s standing.
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