REG - First Tin PLC - End-to-End Mineral Processing Testwork at Taronga

First TinAnnouncement

18/09/2023 07:00

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RNS Number : 6699M  First Tin PLC  18 September 2023

 

 

 

18 September 2023

First Tin Plc

("First Tin" or "the Company")

End-to-End Mineral Processing Testwork Successfully Completed on Taronga Tin
Project Bulk Sample

 

First Tin PLC, a tin development company with advanced, low capex projects in
Germany and Australia, is pleased to report that results of the end-to-end
mineral processing testwork have now been received and compiled on a bulk
sample taken from an adit through the North Pit mineralisation at the Taronga
tin project (average grade 0.18% Sn.)  Based on a thorough review of this and
other data, First Tin now believes that it has developed a simple and
cost-effective processing option for the tin mineralisation found at the
asset.

 

As recently reported, previous crush, jig and spiral test results confirmed
the premise that the cassiterite (SnO(2) - tin ore mineral) is easily
liberated at a coarse crush size and that a good quality pre-concentrate can
be obtained using very simple gravity separation techniques.

 

Using coarse gravity techniques only (i.e. no fine tin recovery) and a
processing route that consists only of crushing, jigs, spirals, grinding and
shaking tables, followed by standard tin dressing techniques including finer
grinding and sulphide flotation, it has been demonstrated that 55-58% of the
total tin is recovered into a plus 56% Sn, low impurity tin concentrate.  An
additional 5-6% recovery is possible from a fine tin circuit.

 

Due to the simplicity of the coarse tin only circuit, this processing flow
sheet has now been chosen as the most viable option for the DFS, with the
possible addition of a fine tin recovery circuit and/or supplementary crushing
options being investigated as part of future optimisation work to further
increase recovery rates. Ongoing recovery studies on lower-grade samples are
also currently in progress, designed to obtain a good grade-recovery curve for
use in the DFS, which we aim to complete during Q1 2024. These results will be
announced when received.

 

Summary

·      A combined conventional and VSI crushing product containing 82%
of the tin in 46% of the mass in the -2.8 mm fraction, was sent to ALS in
Burnie for gravity processing testwork.

·      The -2.8 mm product was screened at 0.4 mm, with the coarse
fraction going to jigs and the fine fraction to spirals.

·      The jigs recovered 83% of the tin in the feed (32% of total tin)
into a concentrate grading 1.21% Sn. This concentrate (7% of initial mass) was
crushed/ground from 2.8 mm to 0.3 mm.

·      The spirals recovered 67% of the tin in the feed (29% of total
tin) into a concentrate grading 4.57% Sn.

·      A re-grind of the rougher spiral tail (17% of initial mass) from
0.40mm to 0.15mm, followed by a scavenger spiral, recovered an additional 40%
of the feed tin (6% of total tin) into a concentrate grading 0.62% Sn.

·      The jig concentrates and the two spiral concentrates were then
combined into a single concentrate grading 1.66% Sn containing 67% of the
total tin in 8% of the initial mass.

·      This concentrate was subsequently treated by locked cycle
grinding and tabling to produce a concentrate grading 16.4% Sn containing 56%
of the total tin in 0.6% of the mass.

·      Clean-up of this concentrate by grinding to 0.15mm and floating
off the sulphides returned a cleaner concentrate grading 56.2% Sn containing
55% of the tin in 0.20% of the mass.

·      Recycling of the plus 53 µm tails from the lock cycle test work
could add an additional 1-3% recovery overall to the coarse tin circuit.
This could be improved even further via recycling all plus 38µm material.

·      The main losses of tin result from the initial crushing stage
(15% grading 0.07% Sn), the spiral tail (9% grading 0.10% Sn) and the shaking
table tail (12% grading 0.29% Sn).  This tin is mainly deported into the fine
fractions (<38 µm).  Further work to refine these steps and increase
recovery is proposed.

·      A fines circuit consisting of cyclone de-sliming, Falcon
separation, MGS separation and cassiterite flotation has been shown to recover
an additional 5-6% of the fine tin to a 13% Sn concentrate that may be able to
be blended back into the coarse tin concentrate, taking total tin recovery to
between 58% and 63% albeit additional work is required to optimise and improve
the grade and quality of the concentrate to allow it to be used as a blend

 

Based on the results of this test work, a simple processing facility has been
designed consisting of (Figure 1):

·      A conventional 3-stage crushing circuit consisting of a jaw and 2
cones.  This will operate only during daylight hours (10 hours per day) in
order to take advantage of a proposed solar farm that will significantly
reduce electricity costs.

·      Screening at 2.8mm.

·      Vertical impact crushers (VSI) that will operate 24 hours per day
to recover additional tin from the crusher oversize stockpile.  This will
again be screened at 2.8mm, with oversize going directly to a proposed
co-disposal tailings storage facility.

·      Screening of the re-combined -2.8mm crushed fraction at 0.4mm,
with oversize going to jigs and undersize to spirals.

·      The jig concentrate will be screened and the oversize material
crushed/ground (<5% of initial mass) to 0.3 mm. Undersize will be cleaned
up with a spiral-table combination.  Jig tails will go directly to the
proposed co-disposal tailings storage facility.

·      The spiral middlings will be ground in a ball/rod mill to 0.15mm
followed by scavenger spiral concentration.  The tails from this will go
directly to the proposed co-disposal tailings storage facility.  The
concentrate will be cleaned up with a spiral-table combination and combined
with the other jig/spiral concentrates.

·      Table concentrates from the jigs and spiral circuits will be
ground to 0.15mm prior to processing through magnetic separators and sulphide
flotation.  Magnetic and sulphide concentrates will be pumped to a thickener
and then to a dedicated sulphide storage facility.

·      Further dressing may be undertaken in the dressing shed to
increase concentrate tin grade and remove more impurities if required.

Figure 1 shows the current simplified flowchart for the proposed mill design.

 

 

First Tin CEO Thomas Buenger said: "This processing testwork has identified a
clear path forward to produce a saleable tin concentrate from the Taronga tin
deposit using very simple, cheap, off the shelf mineral processing equipment
such as jigs, spirals and shaking tables. A good quality concentrate can be
produced at reasonable recovery rates using very simple equipment, resulting
in lower capital and operating costs.

 

"These results also show that recoveries can be boosted by recovering tin from
the fine fraction (<38µm) using more complex and sophisticated high G
force gravity separation techniques as well as via cassiterite flotation. We
look forward to announcing further optimisations at this asset in the coming
months."

 

The project is owned by First Tin's 100% owned Australian subsidiary, Taronga
Mines Pty Ltd ("TMPL").

 

 

 

 

Figure 1: Taronga Simplified Mineral Processing Flow Chart

Enquiries:

 

 First Tin                                                                      Via SEC Newgate below
 Thomas Buenger - Chief Executive Officer
 Arlington Group Asset Management Limited (Financial Advisor and Joint Broker)

 Simon Catt                                                                     020 7389 5016

 WH Ireland Limited (Joint Broker)
 Harry Ansell                                                                   020 7220 1670

 SEC Newgate (Financial Communications)
 Elisabeth Cowell / Molly Gretton                                               FirstTin@secnewgate.co.uk

 

Notes to Editors

First Tin is an ethical, reliable, and sustainable tin production company led
by a team of renowned tin specialists. The Company is focused on becoming a
tin supplier in conflict-free, low political risk jurisdictions through the
rapid development of high value, low capex tin assets in Germany and
Australia.

Tin is a critical metal, vital in any plan to decarbonise and electrify the
world, yet Europe has very little supply. Rising demand, together with
shortages, is expected to lead tin to experience sustained deficit markets for
the foreseeable future. Its assets have been de-risked significantly, with
extensive work undertaken to date.

First Tin's goal is to use best-in-class environmental standards to bring two
tin mines into production in three years, providing provenance of supply to
support the current global clean energy and technological revolutions.

 

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