Name of the Project
K. Hill manganese project.

Location
The Kanye basin, in south-eastern Botswana.

Project Owner/s
Giyani Metals Corp.

Project Description
An updated preliminary economic assessment (PEA) has incorporated 1.7-million tonnes of inferred mineral resources into the project grading 25.7% manganese oxide, 10.5% aluminium oxide, 30.9% silicone oxide, 16.8% iron and 8.7% LOI.

The project is expected to produce 891 000 t of high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate over its ten-year mine life.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The updated PEA has increased the project’s pretax net present value, at a 10% discount rate, from $357-million in the April 2020 PEA to $431-million in the April 2021 PEA. The internal rate of return has decreased from 82.1% to 80%. The project has a payback of three years.

Capital Expenditure
The project will require a capital investment of about $153-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
Giyani Metals has reported that the preliminary results from metallurgical testwork, undertaken by Mintek at its K.Hill manganese project, shows a high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate, with less than 1% total impurity and manganese content of more than 31.5%.

These preliminary results were achieved by the evaporative crystallisation of a purified solution, with the completed activities – including leach enhancement, bulk leach, base metal precipitation, iron and aluminium precipitation – representing several of the initial steps of the process flowsheet to produce high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate from the K.Hill project ore.

The completed testwork has also revealed 94% manganese extraction after reductive acid leach,  with iron and aluminium removal, after neutralisation and precipitation, at 100% and 99.5% respectively.

In addition, secondary purification kinetic tests show nickel, cobalt and zinc can be removed to detection limits, and sulphuric acid consumption reduced to 90 kg/t of ore, compared with earlier estimates of 333 kg/t.

Giyani is also undertaking ongoing field programmes, including exploration drilling programmes at an extension of the existing K.Hill project orebody and the Otse manganese prospect.

The remainder of the metallurgical test programme will focus on further impurity reductions, with the programme set to form part of the feasibility study on the project.

The K.Hill project feasibility study reserve infill drilling is complete, with assay results and an ore reserve estimate are expected during the third quarter of 2021.

Giyani reports that the related in-pit and civil geotechnical drilling, along with sterilisation drilling in the designated plant and infrastructure areas, is also progressing as planned.

The miner states that 13 of the planned 32 reverse circulation drill holes, representing 923.5 m, have been completed to date at the K.Hill extension project.

At Otse, two orientation geophysical studies, using ground penetrating radar, have been completed and an induced polarisation programme will start later this month.

CEO Robin Birchall has said the completion of the reserve drilling campaign and the progress on the mineral reserve estimation will culminate in the announcement of Giyani’s maiden reserve in the third quarter.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Giyani Metals Corp, tel +1289291 4032 or email info@giyanimetals.com.