Modern Mining February 2019

MINING News

Keras Resources, listed on AIM, has com- menced the trucking of processed ore from Keras starts trucking ore from Nayega its 10 000-tonne bulk sampling metallurgi- cal test work programme at the Nayega

manganese project in northern Togo. Trucked ore is now being stockpiled at a secure site adjacent to the deep-water port of Lomé in Togo and will be transferred to the bulk material wharf when shipping commences in late February 2019. The bulk sampling programme com- menced in August last year with the aim of further understanding metallurgical test work previously conducted at the project. The current programme is fully funded by a major producer of manganese-based alloys, which aims to assess the suitability of the ore for its smelting facilities. A 20 t/h scrubber plant was commis- sioned in late December 2018 and has now reached steady state producing 230 sale- able tonnes per day. Installed mining and processing plant and equipment at Nayega has the capac- ity to produce approximately 6 500 tonnes per month of +35 % Mn ore, with recent test work results having returned grades of plus 40 %Mn, suggesting further potential upside to the operation. “The continued success of the bulk sampling programme has underpinned the significant value that we attribute to Nayega; we believe the project will form the cornerstone of Keras’ manganese business moving forward,” comments Russell Lamming, Chief Executive Officer of Keras.  with the required process water. Electrical power to the operation will be provided from the existing high-volt- age supply line that currently terminates approximately 1 km from the plant process- ing site. AfriTin is now in the process of conclud- ing a supply agreement with the relevant authorities that will allow the plant to be connected to the power grid. Backup power, in the form of diesel generating sets, is also being installed at site. Phase 1 exploration commenced at the start of November 2018 with the primary goal of validating the existing historic SRK resource over the V1 and V2 pegmatites. To date, 18 of the required 26 drill holes have been completed with all finished holes being geotechnically and geologically logged directly onto a new cloud-based geodatabase system. The core will be assayed and prepared for the declaration of an initial JORC resource on the project. 

The bulk sampling programme at Nayega underway (photo: Keras).

AfriTin Mining to modify Uis Pilot Plant AIM-listed AfriTin Mining, which is working to restart the Uis tin mine in Namibia, says that a decision has been taken tomodify the Phase 1 plant to add production capacity and also produce a tantalum concentrate which will add to revenues. Maiden tin and tantalum concentrate production from Phase 1 is expected in Q2-2019.

and mobilisation is expected once the con- tract has been finalised. In consultation with its engineering consultants, the company has decided to implement two additional components to the Phase 1 Pilot Plant. To increase plant throughput capacity and flexibility, a third dense medium separation (DMS) section has been procured. In addition, a magnetic separation circuit will be installed in the plant. This addition will allow the plant to produce tantalum concentrate alongside the primary tin concentrate. AfriTin says it has made significant progress in addressing the infrastructure requirements for the Phase 1 Pilot Plant and Phase 1 of production. A geohy- drological study, water drilling and test pumping programme have been com- pleted. The results of the programme have confirmed the viability of using groundwa- ter sources to supply the Phase 1 Pilot Plant

Following the start of the civil con- struction works in June 2018, AfriTin has been preparing and rehabilitating the Uis mine site for the commencement of the Phase 1 Pilot Plant commissioning and production of tin concentrate. As previ- ously announced, during December 2018 the company undertook the first large- scale blast of mining material. The primary crushing circuit was commissioned and first material was crushed and stockpiled. AfriTin is now well advanced with the procurement of mining contractor services for drilling, blasting, loading and hauling

14  MODERN MINING  February 2019