TSX-listed Katanga Mining expects cobalt debottlenecking projects at its 75%-owned Kamoto Copper Company’s (KCC’s) mine, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to continue throughout next year.

The Glencore subsidiary on Friday reported that commissioning of two filter presses had been completed earlier in the year, while a third filter press was commissioned during the third quarter, ended September 30.

The magnesium oxide plant was also commissioned earlier this year. While the company had also commissioned cobalt dryers, additional works were required owing to mechanical failures experienced during the third quarter.

One cobalt dryer was undergoing temporary repair and should be completed during the fourth quarter. A second dryer was undergoing design modifications and was expected to be recommissioned during the first quarter of next year.

Once the permanent upgrade on the second dryer was completed, the first dryer would be taken off line to start upgrades.

Katanga expects full drying capacity will be achieved by mid-2020.

Once the dryers reach full capacity, KCC will be able to export dry cobalt, including from processing-accumulated cobalt inventories.

The company wants to upgrade the existing cobalt plant design to reduce bottlenecks by modifying the prescription, thickening, filtration, drying and bagging processes.

“This will align the design of the cobalt plant with the average life-of-mine cobalt production plan of 30 000 t/y. These improvements integrate with the existing whole ore leach processing facilities at Luilu,” said Katanga.

Further, the company continued to progress the phased project at KCC involving sulphuric acid production, sulphur dioxide production and steam turbine generation.

The acid plant should be commissioned before the end of the first half of 2020.

KCC produced 59 424 t of copper cathode in the third quarter, compared with the 52 514 t produced in the second quarter.

The production of cobalt contained in hydroxide increased to 4 763 t in the third quarter, compared with 2 607 t in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, KCC, together with Katanga and KCC’s 25% shareholder, DRC State-owned La Générale des Carrières et des Mines, has been working with the DRC government’s Ministry of Mines and the Congolese Atomic Energy Agency on a long-term technical solution in the form of an ion exchange plant (IX Plant).

Following the authorisation procedures of the IX Plant required by the 2018 Mining Code, the Ministry of Mines had requested KCC to submit a complete bankable feasibility study (BFS) for the entire KCC project, rather than a feasibility study limited to the IX Plant.

Given the effectiveness of the interim solutions using phosphoric acid over the past two quarters, KCC undertook to provide a BFS for the entire KCC project by the end of this year, which will cover the long-term IX Plant option.