https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

African Minerals outlines new product treatment plan for Tonkolili

African Minerals outlines new product treatment plan for Tonkolili

Photo by Bloomberg

26th June 2014

By: Natalie Greve

Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

  

Font size: - +

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Mineral explorer African Minerals says product mix from its Tonkolili iron-ore mine, in Sierra Leone, will, in future, include only deslimed fines, intermediate product and lump, until the establishment of friable hematite concentrate production.

At present, the company’s production consisted of fines, lump and all-in 32 (A32), which had, historically, caused material handling problems in the port, where high clay levels had lowered throughput capacity and produced fines with a high moisture content that required significant rehandling and drying before being shipped.

The establishment of new screening and desliming circuits, expected to be fully commissioned in the third quarter of the year, would create clean, free-draining products with low moisture content and better product quality, which were expected to be shippable year-round.

Fines material below 10 mm would be screened to 2 mm, or above, to create a new intermediate product, a group C cargo, which had no transportable moisture limit restrictions.

Desliming would remove fine, sticky clays and ultrafine material from these fines to create a clean, free-draining higher-quality product, with low moisture content and enhanced material-handling characteristics.

Discounted A32 would be phased out completely during the fourth quarter.

Commenting on the miner’s plans, CEO Bernie Pryor said the establishment of the screening and desliming circuits would be a game changer for African Minerals’ wet-season strategy, in that most, if not all, of its product would now be able to be shipped year-round.

“[Also], the removal of fine sticky clay from our material, and of course the eradication of A32 itself, will greatly improve our port material-handling characteristics. With a year-round shippable product and cessation of A32, we also expect our price realisation to improve meaningfully,” Pryor noted.

Edited by Tracy Klückow
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

Article Enquiry

Email Article

Save Article

Feedback

To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Showroom

Monitor Distributors
Monitor Distributors

We at Hawk High Pressure Pumps specialise in industrial pumps and pumping systems. Our high pressure washing equipment is locally manufactured and...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
The Steel Tube Export Association of South Africa
Steel Tube Export Association of South Africa

The Steel Tube Export Association of South Africa was established to develop sustainable, internationally competitive carbon steel tube and pipe...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







301

sq:0.055 0.135s - 140pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now