PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Dual-listed Mindoro Resources and its TSX-listed joint venture partner TVI Pacific have commissioned and started operations on a pilot plant at the Agata nickel project, in the Philippines.

This followed a positive result from bench-scale testwork, and would assist in further defining the technological parameters to be used in the bankable feasibility study.

The companies said that the positive testwork on nickel laterite ore from the Agata deposit confirmed that the ore was highly amenable to acid leaching, with a high rate of nickel extraction achieved at a low acid consumption rate.

“We are extremely pleased with the results achieved. The process being developed could position the proposed Agata nickel processing plant amonst the lower-cost producers,” said TVI chairperson and CEO Cliff James.

Mindoro reported that around one ton of ore was sent to the Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy to conduct the bench-scale crushing, scrubbing, screening and leaching tests to confirm the optimal circuit configuration and validate the processing process identified by TVI.

The company also set up a bench-scale laboratory in Manila.

To date, more than 70 leach tests have been conducted and illustrated that the Agata ore was highly amenable to leaching.

Some 12 t of ore have now been sent to Beijing to continuously operate a pilot plant and, to date, all ore has been blended, crushed, screened and milled. Leaching started in May to test the high-grade and medium-grade ore.

Pregnant leach solutions from the Beijing pilot plant would be shipped to the Philippines and processed at the TVI downstream nickel recovery pilot plant, which would be commissioned in June, and would be operational by July.

The pilot plant work would be completed during the third quarter of this year.