Andrada Mining has achieved a major milestone in its lithium concentrate production. As part of the company’s off-site pilot test program, a high purity petalite lithium concentrate was produced from the pegmatites in its mineral license areas near Uis, Namibia.
The production of this saleable bulk lithium concentrate follows successful laboratory scale test work, bringing the company closer to full-scale lithium production.
Anthony Viljoen, the CEO of Andrada Mining, expressed his delight at the achievement and stated that it represents a significant step towards realizing the value of their mineral assets in Namibia.
He also mentioned the upcoming completion of the on-site pilot plant and the plans to expedite bulk pilot test work on all mineral licenses.
The pilot test program for lithium began in the first quarter of 2023, involving bulk sampling and pilot processing.
Bond Equipment, a specialist in mineral processing solutions, is conducting the DMS processing of bulk samples from Andrada’s Nai Nais license.
The initial batch of high purity petalite concentrate, weighing 0.5 tonnes, has been produced from these samples. The off-site pilot DMS processing at Bond Equipment is ongoing, and the company expects to produce over 10 tonnes of concentrate from these samples.
The concentrate contains iron (Fe2O3), likely resulting from the ferrosilicon used in the DMS process. Andrada Mining plans to further reduce this contaminant through magnetic separation.
The company believes that the concentrate can be suitable for both the industrial market and as feedstock for lithium refineries producing lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide. The bulk sample used in the pilot test had a head grade of 1.50% Li2O.
Priority was given to the Nai Nais bulk samples due to the weathering effects on the currently accessible Uis resource.
Higher grades are expected in the deeper Uis resource, which will be accessible after the ongoing push-back. Andrada Mining considers the Nai Nais sample to be representative of the higher grade petalite portions of the Uis ore body based on exploration and sampling results.
Sample preparation involved crushing the material to a top size of 8 mm at the Uis Mine circuit. It was then deslimed at 0.5 mm and screened into coarse and fine size fractions at 2 mm at the Bond test facility. The obtained results were from the coarse size fraction, and processing of the finer size fractions will be piloted later.
The petalite concentrate will be used for conducting test work with potential buyers, including petalite conversion to lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide.
Construction of the on-site lithium bulk-sampling pilot plant is progressing as scheduled and within budget. It is expected to be completed in June 2023.
The pilot plant consists of a crushing, screening, DMS, and gravity separation circuit. Once the construction is finished, the on-site pilot bulk processing for lithium will expedite Andrada Mining’s bulk pilot test work and increase lithium concentrate production.
In terms of funding, Andrada Mining has confirmed a senior debt facility of US$5.5 million with the Development Bank of Namibia, scheduled for contractual closure by the end of May 2023. Drawdown of funds is expected to take place in June 2023. However, the finalization of a US$25 million funding facility with Orion Global Resource Fund is subject to the completion of an intercreditor agreement between Orion and the senior lenders DBN and Standard Bank, as previously announced.
