Tag Archives: Tungsten

Blast off at W Resources’ La Parrilla tungsten mine

Comminution of minerals, Explosives and blasting, Industrial minerals, Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, , , , , , , , ,

W Resources says the first T2 blast at the La Parrilla tungsten mine in Spain shot successfully on April 30.

The blast covered a mainly barren zone to prepare access to the 10 m benches closer to the run of mine pad and crusher plant in the Fast Track Mine area, the company said. This explosion continued to open up directly accessible ore to the mine operation.

Ore mined to-date at the operation, which is envisaged as a scalable project, starting at 2 Mt/y to produce some 2,700 t/y of tungsten concentrate and 500 t/y of tin concentrate, before an expansion to 3.5 Mt/y and beyond, has been free-dig or from the early blast area, W said.

“The immediate priority at La Parrilla is to complete the commissioning of the jig and mill plant, which is underway in parallel with the completion of the large-scale concentrator plant,” the company said.

Michael Masterman, Chairman of W Resources, said: “The first T2 mine blast at La Parrilla is a significant event for W Resources and kicks-off the commencement of hard rock mining operations.

“The explosive blast was completed successfully with the highest level of safety and supervision. The ore will be mined at low cost using a truck and shovel operation and transported via the newly constructed ramp to the new 350 t/h crusher plant where it will be crushed and then fed to the newly constructed jig and mill plant as part of the commissioning process.”

The crushing circuit at La Parrilla, supplied by Metso Minerals’ Portugal division, is made up of a C130 jaw crusher and secondary cone crusher, both with vibrating grizzlies prior to size reduction, and two tertiary cone crushers in closed circuit with a double deck banana screen.

With a throughput of 350 t/h, the two alljig® jigs, provided by allmineral, are expected to provide grading, enrichment and cleaning of the pre-ground ore at La Parrilla.

Fairport and Saloro bring Barruecopardo tungsten mine closer to production

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Saloro is gearing up for first production at its Barruecopardo tungsten mine, in Spain, with plant equipment being run through its paces, Fairport Engineering has reported.

Fairport, which has been supporting the re-opening of the historic tungsten mine since 2014 in the plant design and engineering aspects, said the multi-stage crushing and screening plant was the first part of the flowsheet to be tested, with the main concentrator following closely behind. The mine’s steady-state output rate is 260,000 metric tonne units of tungsten oxide.

“The state-of-the-art production facility, that combines both modern day technology and traditional minerals processing systems, will treat a scheelite ore mined at site to produce a tungsten-rich concentrate that will account for around 13% of non-Chinese global supply of tungsten concentrates,” Fairport said.

The Barruecopardo mine has a history dating back almost 100 years. It is located in the Salamanca Province of western Spain, an area of substantial historic tungsten production. For the majority of its operating life, Barruecopardo was the largest tungsten mine in Spain, producing a high-quality tungsten concentrate from open-pit mining and related processing operations, according to Fairport. Activities ceased at the old mine in the early 1980s.

“Since Saloro’s inception, in 2004, it has diligently advanced studies, permitting and funding activities related to its project for the re-opening of the Barruecopardo mine,” Fairport said.

Fairport was awarded the Construction Management Contract for Barruecopardo last year.

Imilingo after optimal XRT ore sorting process with iPlant package

Comminution of minerals, Gem stone mining, Industrial minerals, Metallurgy, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , ,

X-ray Transmission (XRT) ore sorting is being rolled out across the industry, with companies mining metals and minerals from various parts of the periodic table taking advantage of its sensing capabilities.

South Africa mineral processing company, Imilingo gave an exclusive world-first preview of its latest innovations in sensor-based sorting at the Electra Mining conference in Johannesburg last year. IM caught up with Managing Director, Jaco Prinsloo, to find out more about the company’s offering.

IM: How does Imilingo’s ore sorting offering differ from others on the market?

JP: Imilingo utilises mainly XRT sorting, which is at the forefront of sorting technology in diamond and tungsten applications. Imilingo’s iPlant packages the technology in a way that optimises the efficiency of the sorting machines and provides customers the advantage of dealing with a tried and tested system versus a system made up of a combination of components that are possibly less than ideal for their application. The mobility of the plants also plays a big part in providing the client with a workable solution in African countries and abroad.

IM: Do you use ore sorters from some of the major suppliers and then integrate them into your iPlant offering?

JP: Yes, we have built a strong working relationship with TOMRA Sorting as they are at the forefront of sorting and have a proven track record. The iPlant was specifically developed to prepare material for sorting and delivering the feed material in a clean and well classified state, which increases the efficiency of the sorting process.

IM: How does this customisation result in the optimal conditions for an effective sort?

JP: Efficient material classification and fines removal is key to the sorting process and that is what we focus on when developing a plant. Factors such as operator safety and equipment reliability come standard with our bespoke plants.

IM: Why have you chosen to specialise in diamonds, coal and heavy metals?

JP: Diamond recovery is a clean and relatively simple process, which lends itself to the development of standalone modular plants that can easily be expanded based on a client’s requirements. Tungsten has a much higher specific gravity than the host rock containing it, making it a very effective sort and resulting in a very efficient upgrade of run-of-mine ore. In terms of coal, Imilingo had a test plant running in Middelburg (South Africa) that was relatively successful but not commercially viable at the time due to market constraints.

IM: Have you carried out any commercial coal installations?

JP: No, we have only run our own test plant but believe the coal market is up for the taking in terms of coal sorting. Based on the running of our test plant, we believe that there remains a great opportunity within the coal market for utilising XRT sorting.

IM: Since showcasing your offering at Electra Mining in September, what interest have you had from the mining community in terms of using your solutions?

JP: We have had many enquiries regarding our sorting and dredging solutions. The nature of mining projects is that time is required for projects to mature and convert into actual sales. We believe the main effect of the Electra show was to establish our name in the marketplace and create awareness of our offering, which has been achieved.

The upcoming IM March issue will feature an article on ore sorting

W Resources crushing ore at La Parrilla tungsten-tin mine

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Just over a week since confirming mechanical completion of the La Parrilla crusher plant, W Resources has fed the first mined ore into the circuit at its tungsten-tin operation in western Spain.

Michael Masterman, Chairman of W Resources, said: “First ore into new crusher was achieved on December 18, 2018, ahead of the January 2019 target and is a great credit to the team at La Parrilla.”

The crushing circuit at La Parrilla, supplied by Metso Minerals’ Portugal division, has been engineered to minimise creation of tungsten fines and is designed to process 350 t/h of ore, according to the mining company. It is made up of a C130 jaw crusher and secondary cone crusher, both with vibrating grizzlies prior to size reduction, and two tertiary cone crushers in closed circuit with a double deck banana screen.

La Parrilla is envisaged as a scalable project, starting up at 2 Mt/y to produce some 2,700 t/y of tungsten concentrate and 500 t/y of tin concentrate, before an expansion to 3.5 Mt/y and beyond.

W Resources signs off on Metso crushing plant at La Parrilla

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W Resources has confirmed the mechanical completion of the La Parrilla crusher plant, paving the way for commissioning of mined ore from the tungsten-tin deposit in western Spain next month.

The crushing circuit, supplied by Metso Minerals’ Portugal division, has been engineered to minimise creation of tungsten fines and is designed to process 350 t/h of ore, W said. It is made up of a C130 jaw crusher and secondary cone crusher, both with vibrating grizzlies prior to size reduction, and two tertiary cone crushers in closed circuit with a double deck banana screen.

This milestone follows delivery of the majority of the plant in September.

“The circuit has been designed for modular expansion to 700 t/h, requiring no modifications to the installed infrastructure in the future, and is currently configured to feed X-ray ore sorting going forwards,” W said. “The high level of automation in the design and robust wear liner packages will permit strong operational control and minimise maintenance requirements going forwards.”

Michael Masterman, Chairman of W Resources, said: “The crusher is the first of the three La Parrilla plants to be completed and it’s a great credit to the team to complete it ahead of schedule and on budget.

“We are looking forward to first mined ore into the crusher early in the new year which will contribute to an increase in production rates from La Parrilla in line with the planned ramp-up programme.”

La Parrilla is envisaged as a scalable project, starting up at 2 Mt/y to produce some 2,700 t/y of tungsten concentrate and 500 t/y of tin concentrate, before an expansion to 3.5 Mt/y and beyond.

Almonty starts drift development at Sangdong tungsten mine in Korea

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Almonty Industries has commenced drift development at the Sangdong tungsten mine in the Republic of Korea, and is on course to start full-scale mining in early 2020.

The development of some 4,000 meters of 4.5 m x 4.5 m transportation drifts, loading points, passing bays and cross-cuts connecting to orebodies is planned to be completed in 18 months.

Gangwon Mining is the contractor undertaking the work under the mine development contract executed on April 23, 2018, with all the permits for development previously obtained and the required registration of licensed personnel for health, safety, environment, explosive treatment, mechanical and electrical supervision completed.

The official ceremony for the first blast was held at Sangdong on September 26. Promptly after, the first blasting and subsequent development work began inside the Alfonse D portal.

Almonty’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Lewis Black said: “The beginning of the mine development work is an important and meaningful step to Almonty for bringing one of the largest and lowest cost tungsten mines in the world back into production after 25 years since its closure in 1993.”

Black added: “We are particularly pleased to have engaged Gangwon Mining, the most experienced and competitive mining contractor in Korea with no record of safety incidents over 20 year.”

The official commencement of underground development work will also change the status of the Sangdong mine to an operating mine, thus allowing the mine to be eligible for diverse local governmental support and subsidies provided by the mining promotion institutions such as the Korea Resource Corporation and the Mine Reclamation Corporation.

This will widen the spectrum of government subsidies significantly, expanding from the previously announced ongoing endowment for the pilot plant which the Korea Institute for Geoscience and Mineral Resources has provided, with the target completion of the pilot plant expected by the end of December.

The completion of drift development and mining of ore in intersecting areas together with the completion of the processing plant, which is planned to be commissioned in the June quarter of 2020, are expected to enable the Sangdong mine to start producing concentrate in the middle of 2020.

The mine is expected to annually produce some 230,000-240,000 metric tonne units when fully ramped up.

The Almonty Korea Tungsten mine was the powerhouse of the economy in the post-Korean War decades, contributing more than 50% of the country’s export revenue as one of the largest global tungsten producers. This mine, along with almost all other metallic mines in South Korea, closed in the 1990s primarily due to low commodity prices, at a time when South Korea was emerging as a manufacturing powerhouse.

IFG gets hands on tungsten metal cluster in Uzbekistan

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IFG Metals & Mining has built on its existing relationship with Uzbekistan’s geology and mineral resources committee and signed an agreement giving it exclusive rights to carry out feasibility studies and, if proven successful, exploit seven tungsten deposits in Uzbekistan.

The aim of the $300 million long-term investment is to create a cluster for tungsten production and processing, according to IFG, a division of Central Asia focused advisory and investment company IFG Capital Partners.

Back in July, IFG and the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Geology and Mineral Resources (Goscomgeology) signed a pact to carry out a feasibility study on developing the Yakhton tungsten deposit in the Samarkand region of the country.

IFG says its latest investment over the 25-30 year working lie of the cluster is the largest such foreign investment in Uzbekistan’s mining industry since the end of the Soviet Union.

As part of the agreement, IFG will develop the tungsten cluster and be the leading principal investor in the project. Sun Group, which is active in India, Russia, West Africa and other emerging markets, has agreed to co-invest with IFG in the exploration and development of the tungsten cluster, subject to further due diligence.

As a result, IFG, Goscomgeology and Sun Group on September 28 signed an agreement on joint development of seven tungsten deposits in Uzbekistan during the Indian-Uzbek Business Forum held as part of the official visit of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to India.

IFG intends to conduct a feasibility analysis into the exploration and development of the Ingichke, Gussay, Sarykul, Kara-Tyube, Lyangar and Koytash tungsten deposits, with the purpose of processing ore into concentrate. The Yakhton deposit will also become part of the cluster. Should the studies produce positive results, IFG has the exclusive rights to manage the industrial development of the deposits.

Olga Ponkratova, Managing Partner of IFG and head of IFG Metals and Mining, said growing shortfalls between global supply and demand have recently driven the tungsten price to its highest levels since September 2014, noting there is a growing expectation stronger pricing levels will continue for some time.

“This favorable market environment, coupled by the strong support that we have received from the government, makes this project possible,” he said.

Preliminary geological research indicates there is around 130,000 t of tungsten oxide in the seven deposits with the average grade coming in higher than comparable projects, according to IFG. The company plans to build two mobile processing factories to process ore and export 100% of produced tungsten to North America and the EU.

IFG is drilling verification boreholes at each deposit to verify existing historical reserves and confirm past  exploration data in accordance with international JORC standards. The first samples from the Yakhton deposit have already been sent abroad for metallurgical testing with results expected later this year.

Metso and allmineral equipment arrives at La Parrilla tungsten project

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W Resources is on course to hit its production goal at the La Parrilla tungsten project in the southwest of Spain, with crushing equipment arriving on site.

In a project update, the company said overall La Parrilla construction had accelerated during the summer months with construction completion of the crusher, jig and mill on schedule for the December quarter, and completion of the concentrator in the March quarter of next year – the same quarter it plans to start production.

La Parrilla is envisaged as a scalable project, starting up at 2 Mt/y to produce some 2,700 t/y of tungsten concentrate and 500 t/y of tin concentrate, before an expansion to 3.5 Mt/y and beyond.

W’s latest update said capital expenditure was tracking below budget, with engineering and procurement now both over 90% complete.

All major contracts have been placed, with 81.3% of the planned €27.1 million ($31.5 million) spend committed. The company also noted plant civil works were complete, concrete works for the crusher had been laid and works for the jig were underway.

Steel erection for the crusher was advancing quickly, the company said.

The primary Metso equipment for the 350 t/h crushing and screening circuit, which includes four HP300 cone crushers, a C130 jaw crusher, a VF500 vibrating feeder, MB352 rock breaker and MF2473 screen, were on site for “just in time installation”, W said.

W noted that primary allmineral equipment for the jig is arriving on site and allmineral confirmed the jig project was on schedule.

With a throughput of 350 t/h, the two alljig® jigs (one, pictured arriving on site) will provide grading, enrichment and cleaning of the pre-ground ore.

The alljig process involves the feed material initially being fluidised with pulsed water, with the grains graded according to density. The jigs separate the specifically lighter scheelite-poor yield from the specifically heavier scheelite-rich ore from the stratified material bed, allmineral said.

The processing plant, with a capacity of 155 t/h connected to the pre-concentration stage through the alljig jigs, will ensure tailings are separated from the valuable material, thereby achieving a 65% WO3 recovery, the company said.

The fines produced in several processing stages are to be recovered in a separate circuit.

IFG and Goscomgeology to revive Yakhton tungsten project in Uzbekistan

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An advisory and investment company has teamed up with Uzbekistan’s geology and mineral resources committee to carry out a feasibility study on developing the Yakhton tungsten deposit in the Samarkand region of the country.

IFG Capital Partners, which is focused on Uzbekistan and wider Central Asia, considers Yakhton to be the first step in “building a tungsten cluster in Uzbekistan through consolidating a number of individual low-margin deposits into a highly effective industry leader built around a state-of-the-art processing facility”. The project was previously explored as part of an Uzbek-South Korean joint venture, according to local Uzbekistan press reports.

IFG and the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Geology and Mineral Resources (Goscomgeology) will start the first phase of the study immediately. This includes verification drilling to confirm existing reserves and metallurgical testwork to determine the optimal ore processing scenario followed by the design of a processing facility.

Should the study prove positive, IFG will also organise the development of the deposit.

Yakhton is a tungsten deposit located near the town of Urgut, 55 km south of Samarkand, which contains some 20,100 tonnes of tungsten trioxide.

Bobir Islamov, Chairman of Goscomgeology, said: “Uzbekistan is a country rich in mineral resources and the tungsten industry has for long been considered an unexploited jewel. We are confident that this [project] has the potential to become a world-class tungsten operation.”

He added that the agreement marks another “major step in the accelerating growth of outside investment and expertise into Uzbekistan”.

Olga Ponkratova, Managing Partner of IFG and its IFG Metals and Mining subsidiary, said “We know the vast potential that Uzbekistan offers in the metals and mining space and we are pleased that our expertise has been recognised by the government as their chosen partner to develop such a great opportunity.

“We believe that this agreement will form the framework for future cooperation with Goscomgeology and will be a major stepping stone of our programme to make Uzbekistan not only a world-class tungsten producer but also an attractive investment destination.”

Uzebekistan already produces tungsten through a state-owned miner. In 2014, the company produced 83 t of the metal, according to the USGS.