JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Tenova Mining & Minerals Group company Tenova Bateman sub-Saharan Africa has been awarded the the front end engineering design (Feed) contract for the on-site refining of nickel concentrates into a mixed nickel cobalt hydroxide (MHP) product at Mondo Minerals’ existing Vuonos talc concentrator plant, in Talkkitie, Finland.

The Feed contract was awarded after Tenova Mining & Minerals in Australia, in conjunction with South African minerals research organisation Mintek, successfully completed the prefeasibility and definitive feasibility studies for the plant, Tenova said in a statement on Monday.

Currently Mondo was generating nickel concentrates as a coproduct of talc production concentrates; however, a long-term economically viable offtake agreement for these had, to date, been limited, as the concentrates contained impurities, which made treatment through conventional smelting difficult.

Using a bioleaching process developed by Mintek, the plant would treat 12 000 t/y of nickel concentrate from Mondo’s talc operations to produce about 1 000 t/y of nickel in the form of MHP. This MHP would then be sold to nickel refineries or directly to the stainless steel industry. 

Tenova noted that the plant would be highly automated and designed to withstand the tough winter conditions of Finland.

Currently, Tenova was liaising with Finnish civil contractors and assisting in the technical aspects with regard to obtaining the Finnish construction permit to enable the contractor to start with the early civil and earthworks on site. 

“The Tenova Mining & Minerals Group’s recognised bioleaching processing experience and its well-established working relationship with Mintek positioned us well to win this important award.

“The project is also a good example of Tenova Mining & Minerals’ capability to draw on the world-class technological expertise across its global organisation to deliver a solution that fully satisfies the client’s needs,” Tenova Bateman sub-Saharan Africa MD Tollie Nel commented.