Gratomic Inc. (TSX-V:GRAT, OTCQX:CBULF) has announced that it has initiated manufacturing on the Air Classification units for its Aukam Graphite Project processing plant in Namibia.
The Toronto-based company said the secondary enrichment program completes engineering of the upgrading circuit on the refining section of the plant.
It noted that Air Classification is a unique feature of the Aukam processing plant, allowing the company to take advantage of the singular properties of vein graphite in a very effective and ecologically friendly manner, upgrading the carbon content at both the feed-end of the plant, and at the final upgrading circuit post-processing.
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“Air Classification is one of the many things that surfaced from the out-of-the-box thinking mentality of our team, and will help set us apart from the pack in the graphite community,” Gratomic’s chief operating officer and head of graphite marketing and sales Armando Farhate said in a statement.
Gratomic said the Air Classification technology is patented (application pending) under US Patent 63/286,005, and the construction drawings for the required units were commissioned to D.E.N.M Engineering in Toronto.
It noted that the technology was designed and developed by Robert Rice, an accomplished metallurgical engineer, with over 50 years of experience in the development of many mining and milling engineering projects.
Rice’s development of the air classification system was designed to eliminate the screening process for crushed ore, which is limited to material size. Air classification separates the ore by size, weight and shape, allowing for the fully disseminated minerals to be released and separated from the waste material, Gratomic explained.
The company said the inclusion of the full-sized air classification system at the Akum project is a first for the mining industry. The system has two main objectives: to separate waste material and remove any free-flowing material at the front end of the mill, and to raise the purity of the graphite to the industry standard for anode material at the finishing end.
"Technological advances in mineral processing continuously shape the way in which graphite is economically upgraded into commercial specifications,” the company’s president and CEO Arno Brand added.
"We consider that this Air Classification technology will revolutionize Gratomic's approach in further industrializing assets around the world in an environmentally friendly manner.”
Gratomic is focused on introducing an exceptional anode material to the global electric vehicle and energy storage supply chains. It is aiming to achieve full operational capabilities in 2022 on its Aukam graphite project and continues to diversify its assets into a multi-national company with various projects globally.
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