Tag Archives: spodumene

Birimian charges DRA Global with flowsheet optimisation at Goulamina lithium project

Comminution of minerals, Energy minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , ,

ASX-listed lithium hopeful, Birimian, says it has selected DRA Global to provide engineering services to optimise the process flowsheet for the Goulamina lithium project in Mali.

The scope of work will include the following deliverables, Birimian said:

  • Review and interpretation of the metallurgical test work;
  • Process design criteria;
  • Mass and water balance;
  • Block flow diagram;
  • Process flow diagrams, and;
  • Mechanical equipment list.

Birimian said the work is key to developing and optimising the design of the process plant for Goulamina and to the subsequent production of a capital cost estimate to the +/-10% level of accuracy required for the definitive feasibility study (DFS). The DFS is due for completion in the March quarter of 2020.

DRA has recently been involved in the execution of number of lithium studies and projects, with the key personnel assigned to Birimian having played an integral role in the design and commissioning of three lithium projects in Western Australia in the last 12 months, Birimian said.

“[They] will contribute an unrivalled combination of knowledge and experience in an area which is crucial to the success of the Goulamina lithium project,” the company said.

The recommended development scenario as outlined in a 2018 updated prefeasibility study showed an open-pit mining operation and a 2 Mt/y mineral concentrating plant, able to produce 362,000 t/y of 6% Li2O spodumene concentrate. The maiden ore reserve came in at 31.2 Mt at 1.56% Li2O, which was derived from an indicated mineral resource of 43.7 Mt at 1.48% Li2O, supporting a 16-year operating life at 2 Mt/y.

Pilbara Minerals and POSCO move a step closer to lithium chemical production JV

Energy minerals, High tech minerals, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

The Pilbara Minerals Board has conditionally exercised its option to enter into an incorporated joint venture with POSCO (for up to 30% participation) for the development of a downstream lithium chemical conversion facility in South Korea.

Pilbara Minerals’ Managing Director and CEO, Ken Brinsden, said the company’s relationship with POSCO had developed over the last year as it has continued to work through the Pilgangoora lithium project joint venture.

“It has been really pleasing to see the positive results generated by the due diligence work to date. The significant investment by POSCO into their PosLX technology has paid off and they have proven their ability to produce an industry leading, battery-ready lithium product through their innovative lithium purification process,” he said.

On October 2, 2018, Pilbara Minerals produced its first spodumene concentrate shipment from Pilgangoora. A total of 8,800 t (wet) of spodumene concentrate grading approximately 6.1% lithia and 1.2% Fe2O3 set sail from Port Hedland bound for the company’s offtake partners in north Asia.

The company’s agreement with POSCO encompasses long-term offtake, funding and the downstream conversion plant joint venture opportunity.

Brinsden said the rapid growth in lithium chemicals consumption in South Korea could see the country’s battery manufacturing sector supply around 25% of worldwide capacity by 2028, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

The downstream lithium facility, to be located in the Gwangyang Free Economic Zone in South Korea, would have up to 40,000 t/y of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) capacity and process spodumene from Pilgangoora using POSCO’s patented PosLX purification process.

Since the December quarter, Pilbara Minerals has been undertaking technical due diligence to assess the proposed chemical plant development and work to date has delivered promising results, it said.

“Due diligence has included a visit of technical staff and assessment of POSCO’s existing commercial operations plant using their PosLX technology, based on Pilbara Minerals’ spodumene delivered from the Pilgangoora project,” Pilbara Minerals said.

POSCO has developed its first commercial-scale operation (after the initial development of a pilot scale plant) that produces up to 2,500 t/y of lithium chemicals on an LCE basis, according to Pilbara Minerals. Based on spodumene chemical conversion, the plant has the capacity and flexibility to produce both high grade lithium hydroxide, or, alternately, lithium carbonate products with low impurities in the final products produced.

Pilbara Minerals said: “The battery grade lithium hydroxide produced has to date been tested by major South Korean cathode makers and has passed their qualification process.”

Once a number of conditions surrounding the deal are complete, they will be put to the Board of Pilbara Minerals for a final decision and commitment to the joint development in mid- to late-May 2019. The parties would then aim to complete construction of the chemical conversion plant in late 2020 with commencement of ramp-up and production from early 2021.

Outotec to help convert spodumene into lithium hydroxide in Australia

Energy minerals, High tech minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , ,

Outotec says it has been awarded a contract for the delivery of filtration technology and services for a lithium processing plant in Australia.

The order, expected to total around €12 million ($13.7 million), has been booked in Outotec’s 2019 March quarter order intake.

The mineral processing equipment company’s scope in this order includes design and delivery of proprietary Outotec© Larox pressure filters as well as installation and commissioning advisory services and spare parts, it said.

When complete, the plant will convert spodumene concentrate into lithium hydroxide.

Kimmo Kontola, Head of Outotec’s Minerals Processing Business, said: “At Outotec, we have expertise to offer sustainable solutions for extracting lithium from brines and spodumene ores up to battery-grade lithium salts. We are well positioned in this growing market for lithium processing technologies.”

Primero, Qube and Lucas TCS named contractors at Core’s Finniss lithium project

Energy minerals, Industrial minerals, Mineral exploration, Mineral project development, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Australia-based Core Lithium has awarded preferred contractor status for three key components of its 100%-owned Finniss lithium project, near Darwin in the Northern Territory.

The three contractors are key participants in the development team Core is assembling following the granting of the first mining licence earlier this month, it said.

Primero Group has been named the preferred engineering procurement and construction (EPC), and front-end engineering and design (FEED) contractor. Primero has worked on several Australia hard-rock lithium projects including Pilbara Minerals’ Pilgangoora operation and Tawana/Alliance’s Bald Hill mine.

Meanwhile, Qube Bulk Pty has received the status of preferred provider of haulage and transport solutions for Finniss, with Lucas Total Contract Solutions selected as preferred mining services contractor.

Core said it would work with all three companies to finalise contract terms that “reflect the most cost-effective and time-efficient solution for Finniss”.

The FEED study by Primero is underway to improve the accuracy of the EPC estimate on the 1 Mt/y processing plant and associated infrastructure at Finniss, the company said.

In line with its construction schedule, Core is targeting first production of spodumene concentrate from Finniss by the end of 2019.

Core’s Managing Director, Stephen Biggins, said: “These key contract roles are crucial for the success of the Finniss lithium project, so we did not make our decisions on who should be awarded these packages of work lightly. We believe we have selected the best contractors for the respective contracts out a field of worthy contractors, and look forward to working with Primero, Lucas TCS and Qube once the contracts have been finalised and the next phases of work at Finniss get underway.”

He added that final award of the contracts would follow the completion and release of a definitive feasibility study on Finniss, in addition to financing of the project.

Core’s development of Finniss is initially centred on production from the high-grade Grants deposit as an open-pit mining operation and construction of a 1 Mt/y dense media separation process plant to produce a 5% Li2O spodumene concentrate for export.

The prefeasibility study on the project envisaged a total capex of A$53.55 million ($38 million) and A$168 million (pre-tax) in free cash generation over a period of 26 months based on a price of $649/t for its concentrate.

Altura Mining ships first lithium concentrate to Chinese offtake partner

Energy minerals, Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining project news, , , , , , ,

The first shipment of spodumene concentrate from Altura Mining’s lithium project in Western Australia has set sail from Port Hedland.

The vessel, ‘MV Clipper Tenacious’, was loaded with approximately 5,000 t of concentrate and is headed for Altura’s offtake partner Lionergy in China.

The focus for Altura is now the ongoing ramp-up of production to the nameplate capacity of 220,000 t/y of 6% LiO2 concentrate and regular shipments, Altura said, with the next shipment expected to depart in late October.

Altura Mining Managing Director James Brown said the company was now part of the “lithium-ion battery revolution”.

“A little bit of the Pilbara will now be found in the car, mobile phones and static storage batteries of the future.”

It was only in July, Altura declared first concentrate output from its mine, 16 months after the company broke ground on the project and two months since crushing operations began.