REG - Blencowe Resources - Metallurgical Test Work Update

Blencowe ResourcesAnnouncement

06/12/2022 07:00

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RNS Number : 6770I  Blencowe Resources PLC  06 December 2022

Date: 06 December
2022                               Blencowe
Resources

 

Successful Further Metallurgical Test Work for Orom-Cross Graphite Project
Sets-Up Bulk Sample Test Phase

Larger sample confirms same high quality end product as previous metallurgical
test work

 

Highlights:

·   Blencowe successfully completes critical metallurgical test work on
substantially up-scaled quantities of Orom-Cross composite mix, as per what
was previously tested by SGS in Canada.

·    Results continue to highlight a high grade, low impurity concentrate
can be delivered from Orom-Cross.

·    Duplication of bench scale testing results now completed through to
bulk sample test stage.

·    Test work completed by leading Australian metallurgical test firm
IMO.

·    Blencowe now has considerably more volume of end product to send to
interested end users for testing.

 

Blencowe Resources Plc ("Blencowe" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce
that additional metallurgical test work on its Orom-Cross graphite project in
Northern Uganda has been completed by leading technical specialist firm IMO
based in Perth, Australia. This work is critical to understanding the quality
of the end-product that Orom-Cross can deliver as a high-grade graphite
concentrate, as well as what the process flow will look like to achieve this
on a pre-commercial scale.  It also provides significantly greater quantum of
end product for end user testing which is critical for the Definitive
Feasibility Study.

Blencowe appointed IMO to undertake metallurgical test work on material
gathered from its drilling campaigns which covered both the Northern Syncline
and Camp lode areas within Orom-Cross. The program was designed to deliver the
following objectives:

1.  Confirm a 95-97% TGC (Total Graphite Content) pure concentrate is
possible with low impurities (Thorium and Vanadium).

2.    Confirm ~90% recovery is achievable for this concentrate.

3.  Confirm the liberation process in order to maintain a high percentage of
Jumbo/XL/Large flakes within the concentrate.

4.    Confirm the process flow diagram for plant design as part of the
Definitive Feasibility Study.

5.    Deliver bulk concentrate samples to allow Blencowe to initiate
discussions with potential off-take partners.

Blencowe is pleased to announce that all 5 objectives have been met or
exceeded in this latest round of test work.  Open cycle floatation testing
produced recoveries between 90-92% and concentrate grades consistently range
between 95-98% which are battery grade.

The additional metallurgical test work was commissioned to test the
upgradeability of the bench scale test work completed by SGS in Lakefield. A
total of 1,400kg was processed (as compared to 100kg within SGS test work) and
all metallurgical test-work undertaken to date shows a robust flowsheet
capable of repeatable metallurgy for a wide range of feed samples from
Orom-Cross.

A total of eight rougher and cleaner flotation tests were carried out on the
Master composite that culminated in the flowsheet that is atypical of similar
graphite projects.  The flowsheet consists of a flash and rougher flotation
stage followed by a primary cleaning circuit with a polishing mill followed by
three stages of cleaner flotation. The intermediate concentrate is classified
and then further upgraded in secondary cleaning circuits with stirred media
mills (SMM) followed by cleaner flotation.

The proposed flowsheet was employed in a continuous pilot operation to
determine the metallurgical response under typical operating conditions. The
final concentrate graded 96.4% C(t) at 90.6% total carbon recovery which
exceeded the company's expectations and places the end product recovered at
the higher end of the spectrum in comparison to its peers.

Test work was focussed on the 5 points above and not geared towards optimising
the flake size fractions.  As the resultant splits using an unoptimised
circuit are within 5% of the fractions as determined by the original SGS bench
scale works there may be further incremental value to be added by optimising
ahead. The key takeaway from these results is that the scaling factors in the
metallurgical testing will likely replicate the original test work and results
through to commercial scale production.

At the end of this larger scale metallurgical program, approximately 80kg of
concentrate was produced (versus 5-8kgs from SGS in Canada) which will be
forwarded to potential end-users and project partners for additional test work
on screening splits and grade analysis, as well as suitability for further
downstream processing of the concentrate.

The design of the processing plant will be based on both the SGS and IMO
test-work and best practice in similar operations. Importantly, the process
requires no primary crushing or grinding of the ore, thus preserving the
larger flake sizes, which is a material advantage over hard-rock graphite
deposits.

 

Executive Chairman Cameron Pearce commented:

"We are delighted with these IMO met test results as they not only continue to
underpin Orom-Cross concentrate as high quality in all key areas relevant to
end users but the test work has highlighted that we can now deliver these end
results on a much greater scale of raw material as processed.  This is a key
steps towards commercial stage production testing in a pilot plant facility.
It also highlights the potential to increase the percentage of the more
valuable coarse flake products through further optimisation of the processing
circuits and this will be considered in the next round of testing.

This latest set of results sets us up nicely for the bulk sample trial we will
be conducting on 100 tonnes of Orom-Cross composite in 1H 2023 and if these
same results are produced from that exercise we will be largely pre-qualified
in terms of end products delivered as concentrate."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For further information please contact:

  Blencowe Resources Plc    www.blencoweresourcesplc.com

  Sam Quinn                 Tel: +44 (0)1624 681 250

                            info@blencoweresourcesplc.com (mailto:info@blencoweresourcesplc.com)

 Investor Relations         Tel: +44 (0) 7891 677 441

 Sasha Sethi                sasha@flowcomms.com (mailto:sasha@flowcomms.com)

 Tavira Financial           Tel: +44 (0)20 3192 1733

 Jonathan Evans             jonathan.evans@tavira (mailto:jonathan.evans@tavirasecurities.com) .group

 First Equity Limited       Tel: +44(0)20 7330 1833

 Jason Robertson            jasonrobertson@firstequitylimited.com
                            (mailto:jasonrobertson@firstequitylimited.com)

Twitter https://twitter.com/BlencoweRes (https://twitter.com/BlencoweRes)

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/72382491/admin/
(https://www.linkedin.com/company/72382491/admin/)

 

Background

Orom-Cross Graphite Project

Orom-Cross is a potential world class graphite project both by size and
end-product quality, with a high component of more valuable larger flakes
within the deposit.

A 21-year Mining Licence for the project was issued by the Ugandan Government
in 2019 following extensive historical work on the deposit and Blencowe is
moving into the Definitive Feasibility Study phase shortly as it drives
towards first production.

Orom-Cross presents as a large, shallow open-pitable deposit, with a maiden
JORC Indicated & Inferred Mineral Resource deposit of 24.5Mt @ 6.0% Total
Graphite Content. Development of the resource is expected to benefit from a
low strip ratio and free dig operations, thereby ensuring lower operating and
capital costs.

 

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