Black Rock Mining Ltd (ASX:BKT) has produced strong metallurgical results at its Mahenge graphite project in Tanzania.
Optimisation work on a bulk sample from Ulanzi, which is a part of Mahenge, has shown improvements to graphite purity and flake sizing.
The +75 to +500 micron portion (small to super jumbo sizing) of flake graphite, which represents 98.3% of all graphite produced is now achieving >97.1% total graphitic carbon purity.
The Ulanzi bulk sample has a bias towards coarse sizing with 66.3% of the flake graphite produced by this test work being >180 microns in size (coarse, jumbo and super jumbo sizing).
This size fraction typically receives a price premium to finer flake. This has potential to improve the basket pricing from the scoping study where 50% coarse sizing was assumed.
Steven Tambanis, managing director, commented: “The ongoing metallurgical program continues to deliver significant improvements in purity and flake size for the company to optimise a process flowsheet.
"Results indicate that Mahenge graphite can manufacture premium flake products from a straightforward flotation circuit and there is scope for additional improvements.
"We look forward to announcing additional results over the next few months from process optimisation and expandable/spherical/battery testing."
Next steps
New metallurgical samples will be sent from Tanzania over the coming months to test additional portions of the Ulanzi and Cascade lodes.
Two more bulk surface samples and drill core samples are being prepared.
The metallurgical programme is expected to continue for the next four to six months, in parallel with the pre feasibility and bankable feasibility studies.
The graphite marketing programme is underway for the rest of the calendar year with the objective of delivering off-take agreements to match proposed annual production.
The final drilling programme planned for April is designed to increase the proportion of Indicated Resources, define additional high grade portions of the Ulanzi structure and to deliver an Indicated resource for Cascades. This has delivered the highest grade zones to date at Mahenge.
The overall resource is expected to increase as a result of this programme with results expected during May/June.
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