Kendrick Resources has begun metallurgical test work on its Teufelskuppe rare earth project in Namibia, sending three bulk samples to Germany to determine how to liberate and recover its light rare earth mineralisation before developing a processing flowsheet.
The company said on 26 August that it has appointed German consultancy and engineering company Anzaplan, part of the Dorfner Group, to carry out early-stage assessment and Mineral Liberation Analysis on material from Teufelskuppe.
The three samples represent mineralised dykes, sills and breccias occurring across the eight major structures that make up the Teufelskuppe carbonatite complex and will be assessed for the recovery of light rare earth oxides.
The work introduces a critical technical test for a project where Kendrick has spent much of 2026 establishing the extent, continuity and grade of the rare earth mineralisation through drilling and surface sampling.
Kendrick is simultaneously working towards an initial mineral resource estimate for Teufelskuppe, where it has estimated approximately 14 million tonnes of exposed mineralised carbonatite above the natural surface profile. That figure is not yet a JORC-compliant mineral resource.
The metallurgical programme will begin establishing how the rare-earth-bearing minerals occur within the rock, how well they can be separated from surrounding minerals, and what processing route could eventually be used to produce a recoverable rare earth product.
Kendrick chairman Colin Bird said the Mineral Liberation Analysis will provide the information needed for more detailed metallurgical studies.
“We are very pleased to be working with Anzaplan, and we look forward to the results of the Mineral Liberation Analysis study. Once completed, this work will provide Anzaplan with the information required for further detailed studies and optimisation leading to the development of a flow sheet. The company will update shareholders as information becomes available,” Bird said.
Three samples start flowsheet work
Anzaplan has also received Kendrick’s detailed petrological analysis conducted by independent US-based specialists ahead of the metallurgical programme.
The immediate work is Mineral Liberation Analysis, which identifies the minerals carrying the valuable elements and establishes how they are physically associated with other minerals in the rock.
That information will influence the processing methods that are subsequently tested and ultimately the design of a potential Teufelskuppe flowsheet.
Anzaplan specialises in flowsheet and process development for speciality metals, including rare earth elements, and has facilities to evaluate processing routes, including comminution, sensor-based sorting, flotation, magnetic and electrostatic separation, and hydrometallurgical treatment.
Kendrick has not yet selected which combination of those processes would suit Teufelskuppe.
The company has not reported metallurgical recovery percentages, expected concentrate grades, or processing costs for the project. Those questions remain part of the technical work now beginning.
Earlier mineralogical work cited by Kendrick indicated that about 95% of the rare earth pool at the broader Bonya project occurs within fluorocarbonate minerals and was believed to be recoverable using conventional processing methods.
The Anzaplan programme now builds on that work to determine an optimised recovery process specifically for the mineralisation Kendrick is seeking to develop.
Metallurgy joins resource work
The metallurgical programme is advancing alongside, rather than after, Kendrick’s ongoing resource-definition work.
Kendrick has been drilling Teufelskuppe throughout 2026 and says results indicate that rare-earth-bearing carbonatites continue beneath mineralisation exposed at surface.
The company’s latest drilling has returned shallow mineralisation, including 8 metres grading 2.35% TREO from surface in hole TKDD005.
Hole TKDD004 returned 5.5 metres grading 2.30% TREO from surface, while TKDD006 encountered several higher-grade intervals, including 2.5 metres at 3.40% TREO, 2.75 metres at 3.33% TREO and 3.75 metres at 3.00% TREO.
Those results were obtained using portable X-ray fluorescence analysis, with drill core subsequently submitted for laboratory analysis to validate the results and support resource estimation.
Surface channel sampling has also produced substantial mineralised widths, including 53.5 metres grading 2.94% LREO, 197 metres at 1.42%, 84.5 metres at 1.91%, 64 metres at 1.80% and 140 metres at 1.31%.
Kendrick says the approximately 14Mt of exposed mineralised carbonatite identified through its surface work will contribute to its initial mineral resource estimate, while drilling is being used to determine how much additional mineralisation extends beneath the natural surface.
The company’s broader historical dataset shows a mean TREO grade of about 3.1% across 295 whole-rock samples at Teufelskuppe, with higher average grades reported from the central carbonatites and dyke stockwork.
Neodymium and praseodymium are particularly important to the project’s potential economics. Kendrick says the two elements together account for about 25% of the rare earth pool by weight and represent the principal economic value within the light rare earth assemblage.
The company is therefore trying to establish three elements of Teufelskuppe at the same time: the tonnes available, the grades contained within those tonnes and the process required to recover the valuable rare earth minerals.
The drilling and surface programmes are addressing the first two. The three samples being sent to Anzaplan begin the detailed work on the third.
The results will determine what further metallurgical testing is required before Kendrick can optimise a flowsheet and begin establishing how Teufelskuppe’s rare earth mineralisation could be processed at commercial scale.
