| Nov 27, 2002
TERTIARY MINERALS INITIATES SCOPING
STUDY ON WORLD’S LARGEST TANTALUM DEPOSIT
-
London-Based St Barbara
Consulting To Head 12-Week Work Programme
- Study Based
On Company’s Recently Completed Metallurgical Development
Programme And 385 Million Tonne Inferred Mineral Resource
- Production
Of Concentrates And Added-Value Products To Be Included
AIM-listed
Tertiary Minerals plc has commissioned an economic and technical
scoping study for development of its Ghurayyah project in Saudi
Arabia, based on what is believed to be the world’s largest
tantalum-niobium deposit.
The study, to be undertaken by London-based St Barbara Consulting,
follows the successful results from Tertiary’s recent metallurgical
development programme on Ghurayyah. This produced a valuable concentrate
of tantalum, niobium and yttrium using standard industry techniques
of flotation and magnetic separation. Previously the Ghurayyah deposit
was considered to be a valuable of source of tantalum only, but
this test work not only achieved good recoveries for tantalum and
niobium (71p.c and 65p.c. respectively) but also significant recoveries
of yttrium and rare-earth oxides.
Tertiary says the scoping study will commence immediately and should
be completed next February.
Its broad objectives are to:
- undertake
mine and process design together with capital and operating cost
estimates for a project comprising an open pit mine, concentrator
and concentrate processing facilities and based on the bulk-mineable
Ghurayyah tantalum-niobium resource.
- evaluate
production of both tantalum and niobium in both concentrate and
added-value form and assess the value of by-product yttrium, zircon
and rare-earth oxides
- consider
water supply requirements and any environment issues relating
to the project.
- define a
scope of work and budget for a preliminary feasibility study.
- carry out
comprehensive financial modelling of the project.
The study will
be managed by St Barbara’s senior mineral processing engineer
Richard Wilkinson, a metallurgist/chemical engineer, who was formerly
in charge of mineral processing research at Billiton Research. Mr
Wilkinson has recently been advising Tertiary on its metallurgical
development programme. St Barbara will carry out the process design
for ore concentration and concentrate processing options whilst
SRK Consulting will design and cost the mining operations. GBM Minerals
Engineering Consultants will cost the processing plant and infrastructure.
Project planning will be based on the Inferred Mineral Resource
for Ghurayyah previously estimated by SRK Consulting at 385 million
tonnes grading 245 g/t tantalum pentoxide (Ta205), 2,840 g/t niobium
pentoxide (Nb205), and 8,915 g/t zirconium oxide (Zr02).
Further Information: Patrick Cheetham, Tertiary Minerals:
Tel: 01625-626203; mob: 07767-458751.
Ron Marshman/John Greenhalgh, City of London PR Ltd.
Tel : 020-7628-5518 |
