Gratomic Inc has announced the ongoing commissioning of several key pieces of equipment in preparation for the final commissioning stage of the grinding, flotation, and drying circuits at its Aukam Graphite processing plant in Namibia.
The Toronto-based company said the Product Thickener assembly at the plant has been completed, including the lining of the tank inner walls with an anti-abrasive coating. The commissioning of the equipment consists of operating the rake to ensure that the turning movement is clear and responsive to the speed controls, it added.
"Our Aukam construction team has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity,” the company’s chief operating officer and head of graphite marketing and sales Armando Farhate said in a statement.
“Even during the holiday period, they never stopped finding ways to push our project forward and keep us ahead of the game."
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Gratomic said the vibrating feeder has been installed and is ready for calibration. This will feed into Cleat Conveyor number five, which will feed the recently installed and operational feed bin to the rod mill. This ensures that the belt is properly assembled and moving without interference and responsive to the controls. Belt Conveyor number six and its vibrating plate, which runs from the feed bin to the feed hopper of the rod mill, is ready for testing, the company said.
The material from the historical stockpiles is in the process of being relocated to the feed pad next to the grizzly, which separates the smaller lumps of graphite from the larger lumps, in preparation for the next stage of wet commissioning. In this process, it said material will be fed through the inlet into the first section of the circuit and run through the entire circuit from the beginning to the end of the system.
"Since the beginning, the company has established a pattern of creative approaches to mining and exploration,” Gratomic’s president and CEO Arno Brand concluded.
“Over the past 18 months, our team in Namibia has continued to make great strides towards project completion. Their exceptional effort has kept us on track throughout the construction and commissioning phases.”
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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