Sandpiper Project Final Laboratory Based Testwork Results
01/19/2012 | 08:02pm
ABN 48 116 296 541
EXCHANGE RELEASE
SANDPIPER PHOSPHATE PROJECT NAMIBIA
FINAL RESULTS FROM BATEMAN'S LABORATORY BASED TESTWORK IN
PREPARATION FOR MINTEK PILOT PLANT PROGRAMME
20 January 2012
Minemakers Limited ("ASX & TSX: MAK; NSX: MMS"), UCL
Resources Limited ("ASX: UCL") and Tungeni Investments c.c.
("Tungeni"), the joint venture participants in the company
Namibian Marine Phosphate (Pty) Limited ("NMP"), are pleased
to announce the issue of the Testwork Report, dated December
2011 undertaken by Bateman Advanced Technologies Ltd
("Bateman"). The Testwork Report includes all work carried
out in the Bateman laboratory and sets out the design
parameters for the pilot plant phase that commenced in late
2011 at MINTEK in Johannesburg, South Africa under Bateman's
supervision.
In its report Bateman concluded, as follows:
"The results show that mineral was upgraded from 19.9%
P2O5 to 27.7%
P2O5 by a combination of
classification, gravity separation and attrition. Further
upgrading to > 28% P2O5 was
achieved by calcination. The citric acid and formic acid
solubilities of the phosphate concentrate are very high,
compared with global results, indicating that the concentrate
is suitable for Direct Application Phosphate Rock (DAPR).
Acidulation of pulverized and unpulverized concentrate
produced very high solubility Single
Super Phosphate (SSP).
Wet Process Phosphoric Acid (WPA) was produced on a bench
scale, with an acid recovery of around 70%. The acid was
upgraded by evaporation to 43%.This work needs to be repeated
by a fertilizer company on a much larger scale.
Further work confirmed that a higher phosphate grade in the
feed resulted in correspondingly higher grade in the
concentrate.
Grinding and flotation were not effective for concentration
of the P2O5 and the flotation
process is not indicated as a possible beneficiation process
for this ore. (Confirmed in independent testing by Bateman,
ArrMaz Speciality Chemicals and KemWorks)."
MINEMAKERS LIMITED
ABN 48 116 296 541
ASX Code: MAK / NSX: MMS Level 2, 34 Colin Street
West Perth Western Australia 6005 (PO Box 1704 West Perth WA
6872) Phone: +61 8 9264 7000
Facsimile: +61 8 9264 7099
Website: www.minemakers.com.au
CONTACTS
Mr Andrew Drummond Executive Chairman Minemakers
Limited
Mr Ian Howarth Manager (Vic) Collins Street
Media
401 Collins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: 0407 822 319
The purpose of the Bateman work was to confirm previous
results from the Scoping Study testwork, to provide operating
parameters for the pilot test at MINTEK and to provide a
preliminary examination of the suitability of the concentrate
for fertilizer manufacture. The work included assessment of
gravity separation as a beneficiation process carried out by
SGA Germany with the participation of Bateman process
engineers.
Microscopic pictures of Concentrate (binocular 100 x
magnification)
Microscopic pictures of Tailings (binocular 100 x
magnification)
The first stage of pilot scale beneficiation testwork, with a
circuit based on this Bateman's report, was completed in
December. A second stage, involving a further 80t of bulk
sample, is currently being processed to accommodate fine
tuning of the indicated commercial beneficiation circuit and
to provide further concentrate for marketing purposes.
Results will be released when available.
Andrew Drummond
Executive Chairman
The qualified person in relation to this press release is
Andrew Drummond, who is Executive Chairman of the Company and
a Fellow of The Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
and a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. Mr
Drummond has sufficient experience deemed relevant to the
style of mineralisation and type of deposit under
consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to
qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2004 Edition
of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration
Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves' and a 'Qualified
Person' as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards
of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI43-101"). Mr Drummond
consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based
on his information in the form and context in which it
appears.
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For further information regarding the Sandpiper Marine
Phosphate Programme, please refer to Minemakers' NI43-101
compliant technical report entitled "Updated Estimation of
Phosphate Resources for the Sandpiper Project in EPLs 3415
and
3323, Namibia", dated March
11, 2011 and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
All statements, trend analysis and other information
contained in this report relative to markets for Minemakers'
trends in resources, recoveries, production and anticipated
expense levels, as well as other statements about anticipated
future events or results constitute forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not
always, identified by the use of words such as "seek",
"anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and
"intend" and statements that an event or result "may",
"will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and
other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are
subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and
other factors that could cause actual results of operations
to differ materially from those contained in the
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are
based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the
statements are made. Minemakers does not undertake any
obligation to update forward-looking statements even if
circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should
change. Investors should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements.
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