Building a great Resource into a great Project
July 17, 2020
Is the scoping study still relevant in mineral project development?
August 12, 2020
When I started MinAssist over 15 years ago it was to focus on making process mineralogy more accessible in mineral processing. We had reached a point where automated mineralogy data was becoming more readily available but the skills in interpretation of that data were not part of the plant metallurgists tool kit. I’m glad to say that the use of mineralogy has blossomed into standard practice in most operations and much of the early work we did is now simply part of day to day operation. In this regard the skills we offer have similarly grown and while a fundamental understanding of mineralogy still underpins virtually all our projects, we now offer a much more rounded service in both development projects and operations.
Over the years MinAssist has built a suite of integrated capabilities right through the process development cycle. Our strength is in developing solutions to mineral processing problems that complement the whole process, from mining to rehabilitation and drive enterprise value, rather than simply a solution in isolation. We’ve worked with organisations of all sizes but especially enjoy helping junior developers make the most of resources they have discovered.
We have long been champions of the use of process mineralogy to streamline the development process and provide greater insights into the root cause of operational issues. The old adage that “we process minerals, not metals” definitely holds true. Whether setting up a new process flowsheet or troubleshooting a complex problem the first step should always be to understand the mineralogy and build from there.
In the use of mineralogy, we can build a picture of how the material will respond in different situations. It may be the effect of surface chemistry in flotation, liberation in communition, or size and shape in pre-concentration. This informs us of the best unit operations to use and how much energy we need to put into the ore to separate products.
In using this approach, we have been able to add over US$150 million per year to the revenue of our operational clients and add over US$3 billion to the NPV of development projects.
MinAssist is a global leader in process mineralogy but did you know?
We have a long history of helping junior companies take their project from exploration to development.
We’ve worked with public companies such as Aura Energy and Elementos to develop flow sheets for complex and low-grade resources. Working closely with the management teams we developed conceptual flow sheets, managed sampling and metallurgical test work programs and have run right through the scoping study and feasibility study processes. With Aura Energy’s Tiris Uranium Project we worked right through the from preparation of the scoping study right to completion of the Definitive Feasibility Study.
We are pioneers in operational mineralogy, helping First Quantum Minerals Kansanshi Cu-Au Mine build their successful operational mineralogy program.
We worked closely with the Kansanshi site team to select automated mineralogy technology that was suitable for an operational setting, the Zeiss MinSCAN rugged SEM. We established procedures, set up a suitable laboratory and trained metallurgists in automated mineralogy. Once commissioned the program initially analysed samples from 9 streams in the process circuit each day. This used trend-based reporting for the data, linking the mineralogy with process behaviour to identify process improvement opportunities.
The program was one of the first successful implementations of automated mineralogy in an operational setting. Kansanshi were highly successful, paying back the capital expenditure within 1 month and achieving an increase in total copper recovery of 5% within the first year.
We specialise in development of flow sheets for complex projects where conventional approaches haven’t worked.
Using mineralogy as the basis we have developed process flow sheets for several projects where conventional options had not been successful.
For the Häggån uranium project, Sweden we developed a bioheap leaching flow sheet that overcame high acid consumption by calcite through passivation and acid generation from pyrite in the ore. This resulted in a technically viable process for an average resource grade of only 140 ppm U3O8.
For the Tiris uranium project, Mauritania we used mineralogical characterisation to identify that the uranium host, carnotite was naturally well liberated and fine grained. This allowed us to develop a pre-concentration flow sheet in which 90% of the mass was rejected with just a 10% loss of uranium. This was developed with Aura Energy into a successful Definitive Feasibility Study in 2019.
We have also worked on hydrometallurgical processes for recovery of tin from cassiterite, pressure oxidation for extraction of vanadium from black shales and several other novel processes.
How to best use our capabilities
We have long experience working closely with senior executive teams and Boards to build pathways to development of resource projects that are lower risk and within a reasonable budget. Working with clients such as Aura Energy we help through the value chain by integrating process expertise with all the key parts of project development. By working with specialist consultants, engineering teams and in support of fundraising we can add value by integrating the technical ‘big picture’ with the corporate one to support management and Board decisions.
Please don’t hesitate to have a look through our website or contact us directly for more information.
