InvestSMART

Atomic Eagle Ltd (ASX:AEU)

ALERT: Price-sensitive ASX Announcement for AEU
Current share price for AEU : $0.360 -0.015 (-4%)+
Announcement
Release
6 Oct 2026 9:47AM
Price at Release
$0.375
Full Release
download
Summary
Atomic Eagle Limited (ASX: AEU) announced that metallurgical testwork on diamond core from the recently discovered Muntanga East uranium deposit at its 100%-owned Muntanga Uranium Project in Zambia confirmed the material is highly amenable to conventional heap leach processing, with representative composite samples averaging about 167 ppm U3O8 delivering bottle roll recoveries of 85.9% and 81.9% after 25 days at very low acid consumption of about 3 kg/t, and column leach recoveries of 81.0% and 80.8% under dynamic heap leach conditions; uranium dissolution was largely complete within about 7 days in bottle rolls and approached final extraction after roughly 15 to 20 days in columns, with only modest additional recovery thereafter despite total acid consumption rising to 7.0–7.6 kg/t by 62 days, indicating most uranium can be recovered with low reagent use. The testwork, completed by Mintek in South Africa on lower-grade mineralisation than historically tested elsewhere at the project, also found around 80% of contained uranium occurs in readily leachable minerals and that the ore has favourable physical heap leach characteristics including low fines generation, strong permeability and hydraulic conductivity of approximately 4,537 to 4,396 L/m2/h, more than four times typical design thresholds, supporting efficient percolation and extraction; Atomic Eagle said the results strengthen confidence that Muntanga East, with its shallow mineralisation, proximity to the central resource area and favourable metallurgy, can contribute to future mine development planning and broader project economics.
Key Points
  • Atomic Eagle announced metallurgical testwork results for the Muntanga East uranium deposit at its 100%-owned Muntanga Uranium Project in Zambia.
  • The announcement date is 6 October 2026.
  • Testwork was conducted on two representative composite samples prepared from diamond drill core collected after delineation of the Muntanga East Mineral Resource.
  • The composite samples had an average uranium head grade of approximately 167 ppm U3O8.
  • Mintek in South Africa carried out the metallurgical program.
  • The program included diagnostic leach testing, bottle roll leach testing, column leach testing and heap leach geotechnical assessments.
  • Bottle roll leach recoveries were 85.9% for ME1 and 81.9% for ME2 after 25 days.
  • Bottle roll acid consumption remained approximately 3 kg/t.
  • Uranium dissolution in bottle roll tests was effectively complete after about 7 days.
  • The results suggest about 80% of the uranium is in minerals readily leachable under conventional acid heap leach conditions.
  • Column leach recoveries were 81.0% for ME1 and 80.8% for ME2.
  • Column leach total acid consumption reached 7.0 kg/t for ME1 and 7.6 kg/t for ME2 by 62 days.
  • Most uranium extraction in column tests occurred in the first 15 to 20 days while acid consumption was still about 3 kg/t.
  • Additional leaching beyond that period delivered only modest extra recovery.
  • The material showed excellent physical characteristics for heap leaching, including low fines content and minimal fines generation.
  • Stacking assessments at a simulated 6 metre heap height showed favourable bulk density and porosity.
  • Hydraulic conductivity was approximately 4,537 L/m2/h to 4,396 L/m2/h, more than four times the typical design threshold for heap leach operations.
  • Atomic Eagle said the favourable heap leach metallurgy seen at historical deposits also extends to the newly discovered Muntanga East deposit.
  • The company said the results provide confidence that Muntanga East could enhance the scale and economics of the Muntanga Project.
  • The metallurgical results will be incorporated into ongoing technical studies and future mine development planning.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This information is autogenerated and has not been reviewed for accuracy or completeness. You should refer to the full announcement here for further information.