Modern Mining April 2018

MINING News

Graphex makes “significant progress”

are experiencing critical issues with the availability of feedstock, says Graphex. This tightness of supply of coarse flake graphite to expandable graphite manu- facturers is highlighted by the fact that a significant portion of refractory brick man- ufacturers, who had traditionally used +80 to +100 mesh (150-300 microns) material, are now using -100 mesh (<150 microns) material because anything coarser than +100 mesh (150 microns) is being used for expandable graphite. “We are pleased with the progress of the Updated Feasibility Study and look forward to the proposed industrial trial, which will guide detailed design and allow for performance guarantees under an EPC contract,” comments Graphex’s MD, Phil Hoskins. “We remain confident that the Updated Feasibility Study will produce industry-leading results. “Entering into these Statements of Sales Intent is a significant and material step for- ward for Graphex. We now look forward to converting the SSIs into binding offtake agreements in the near future. These rela- tionships will ultimately see high-quality Chilalo graphite placed into the expand- able graphite market. “With the use of flame retardant building materials receiving significant policy and regulatory support from gov- ernments around the world, Chilalo is expected to form a baseload of supply of coarse flake graphite to the expandable graphite market. The flake graphite sup- ply issue in China, driven largely by the enforcement of environmental policy that has resulted in the closure of a large num- ber of mines, is a reality. We are confident that there is demand for Chilalo graph- ite that vastly exceeds the tonnages in these agreements.”  FGAC, PGeo, formerly the CEO, will assume the key role of Executive Vice-President, Exploration, focusing on the successful execution and continued development of the Tijirit gold project in Mauritania. Auclair will also lead the exploration team in the identification of prospective new gold proj- ects inWest Africa. He has an extensive and successful track record of gold discovery and project growth in Africa and has been responsible for the identification and/or development of a number of gold mines in Africa and internationally. 

Graphex Mining, listed on the ASX, has announced that it has made significant progress on the Updated Feasibility Study, EPC arrangements and offtake for the development of the Chilalo graphite proj- ect in south-east Tanzania. Recent meetings with the Suzhou Design and Research Institute for Non- Metallic Minerals have confirmed the flow sheet for the Chilalo processing plant. The meetings were attended by the Graphex MD and representatives of BatteryLimits. BatteryLimits has been re-engaged to update the existing feasibility study to incorporate technical work previously completed by both BatteryLimits and Suzhou. Graphex and Suzhou have agreed to an industrial trial that will involve pro- cessing a minimum of 5 tonnes of Chilalo

ore for detailed design and with a view to enabling the EPC contractor to provide performance guarantees for the targeted throughput and product specifications, including flake size, grade and recoveries. The industrial trial will produce at least 500 kg of product, which will be provided as sample material to all the major play- ers in the Chinese expandable graphite market. Graphex has also signed five Statements of Sales Intent (SSIs) for the supply of flake graphite to expandable graphite produc- ers and traders in China. The SSIs cover 80 000 tonnes per year of Chilalo graphite and the company anticipates that further SSIs will be signed in the future. Owing to a serious shortage of coarse flake graphite supply in China, exist- ing expandable graphite manufacturers

Drilling underway at the Chilalo graphite project (photo: Graphex).

New Chief Executive Officer for Algold Resources Algold Resources, listed on the TSX-V, has appointed Benoit La Salle as Chief Executive Officer. La Salle will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board of Algold, a position that he has occupied since early 2013.

gold producer in West Africa. La Salle has been, and remains, a key stakeholder, an investor, a chairman, a board member or an executive of many public and private sector companies, primarily in the mining, energy and clean tech sectors where he has been a strong proponent of transfor- mational change and shareholder value creation. Concurrent with the above organ- isational change, Francois Auclair, MSc,

La Salle, FCPA, FCA, has over 20 years of experience in the development and oper- ation of mining projects in West Africa. In 1995, he founded Canadian-based SEMAFO Inc, which grew from a junior explorer to a plus 250 000-ounce-per-year

16  MODERN MINING  April 2018