JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – London-listed graphite production and exploration company Stratmin Global Resources has successfully completed the second stage of plant optimisation at the Madagascar-based Loharano operation, increasing production rates to up to to 900 kg an hour of refined graphite.

The company said on Monday that the process was being stabilised and the operating hours would be extended to a 24-hour operation, six days a week, in August. Further efficiencies were expected once the plant was in continuous production.

The programme aimed to leverage off the success of the pilot phase to produce 94%-purity flake graphite and deliver a stable operating plant capable of producing 6 000 t/y of processed flake graphite.

Initial process modifications were implemented to enable the plant to run at a steady rate and provide a benchmark for further analysis, while a later review of the operation identified bottlenecks in the process and involved modifications to the flotation cells and the process flow.

“The final stage in the Loharano optimisation programme is to add production flexibility into the process, which will enable on-demand product variation to serve niche flake graphite applications with stringent qualitative requirements.

“Upon completion of this stage, the present facilities will become capable to produce tailormade flake graphite with grades of up to 96% purity,” the company said.

Stratmin, meanwhile, continued to advance exploration activities at Loharano and the nearby Mahefadok, currently focusing on detailed topographical and ground geophysical surveys.

This would be followed by further geological mapping and drilling to establish a Joint Ore Reserves Committee- (Jorc-) compliant resource definition.

A programme of bulk sampling, by trenching and pitting, would be run in parallel to provide bulk samples for in-house metallurgical test runs and production testing at the existing plant.

“This will clearly establish all commercial parameters of the deposit. This programme will deliver the required Jorc categorisation for the final feasibility study and enable improved mine planning for existing operations,” the miner held.

In conjunction with studies for the proposed 12 000 t/y Mahefadok flake graphite plant, a review was currently being conducted into forward integration into value-added products for lubrication, friction materials, exfoliation, energy storage and nonconventional energy applications.

“Completion of this pilot phase is a key differentiator between Stratmin and our listed peers. We have a seasoned and successful team that has built and operated a plant that produces high-grade, large flake graphite. We take all of this expertise into the design and delivery of the next mine and plant at Mahefadok and our joint venture project with Tirupati.

“We are now moving out of the pilot phase and into long-term commercial operations that will take the company into sustainable profitability. Our ongoing optimisation will deliver further yield improvements and enhance the bottom line,” commented CEO Brett Boynton.