Australian minerals explorer Ardea Resources has boosted the scale of its Goongarrie Hub nickel-cobalt project by almost 50% to 3.5 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) and flagged a decrease in carbon emissions by adding an atmospheric leach circuit.

The proposed high pressure acid leach and atmospheric leach processing at Goongarrie will produce mixed hydroxide precipitate, which is the preferred nickel-cobalt input for the lithium-ion battery sector.