Africa-focused analytical and geochemical lab- oratory services provider to the mining industry Scientific Services (SciServ) aims to expand its African presence to Botswana – a development that the com- pany highlighted at the Investing in African Mining Indaba, which took place in Cape Town earlier this month.

In March last year, Mining Weekly reported that Botswana had a stable legislative environment and was supported by a government eager to increase its gross domestic product (GDP).

Mining contributes about 40% to the country’s GDP and 50% to its tax revenues, which represents a dramatic growth in the mining industry since its independence from Britain in 1966, when mining contributed only 1% of GDP.

This growth has been attributed to the development and discovery of several major diamond deposits in the country. Further, Botswana’s mining industry provides employment for about 13 000 people, of which 80% are employed by the country’s two biggest mining com- panies, Debswana and BCL.

Botswana is currently the world’s leading diamond pro-ducer in terms of quality and grade, though it also hosts significant copper, nickel, cobalt, gold, soda ash and coal dep- osits, which are being exploited and developed.

The most recent project in the country is mining company Discovery Metals’ Boseto copper project, valued at $175-million.

Services Offering

SciServ founder and co-owner Stuart Moir tells Mining Weekly that the company, which was founded in 1969, showcased its main capabilities at the Mining Indaba, such as sample preparation and analytical services, which enables mining companies to monitor the mining and exploration processes, as well as the environmental impact of those processes. Moir adds that SciServ is currently establishing an environmental division to monitor mine effluent and industrial effluent – specifically hydrocarbons relating to oil and gas exploration.

He explains that the day-to-day management has in the last year been passed on to his daughter Kelly Moir, who has had an insight into the business since childhood.

“It is particularly rewarding to see the ethos of the company remaining, while modernisation and innovation is introduced.

We analyse rocks, drill cores, soils, sands, ores and solutions using the appropriate techniques such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) instruments,” states Moir.

He points out that SciServ has been operating XRF instruments for more than 30 years, routinely undertaking major element analysis such as whole rock analysis on fused beads for phosphates, iron and manganese ores.

A range of elements, including uranium, tin, tungsten, tantalum, molybdenum and niobium are undertaken by XRF on pressed pellets. ICP is used for multi-elements scans and rare-earth analysis and AAS for copper and other base metals.

Further, he notes that the laboratory provides all the required sample preparation equipment to dry, screen, crush, split and pulverise all types of sample material.

Moir adds that SciServ also separates heavy mineral fractions using custom-designed heavy-liquid techniques, widely used for diamond indi- cator sampling and heavy mineral sands projects.

“We have a full range of magnetic and paramagnetic separation equipment, available for the evaluation of heavy mineral sands projects,” he says.

In the last 18 months, the company has undertaken analysis of the Alaskite hosted uranium deposits for ASX-listed exploration company Deep Yellow’s wholly owned Namibian subsidiary, Reptile Uranium Namibia, whose uranium tenements are located south-east of Swakopmund, on the coast of north-western Namibia.

SciServ has also been involved in many of the large Namibian uranium projects, such as nuclear giant Areva’s Trekkopje mine, in the Erongo region; Australia-based uranium company Paladin Energy’s Langer Heinrich mine, in the Namib Desert, western Namibia; ASX- and TSX- listed Bannerman Resources’ Etango project (formerly Goanikontes), which is 38 km east of the coastal town of Swakopmund; and Toronto-based Forsys Metals’ Valencia mine, which is about 55 km from the City of Usakos, in the Erongo region.

SciServ has also conduc- ted assay work since the early 1980s using its XRF instruments on ASX-listed uranium miner Peninsula Energy’s Ryst Kuil uranium prospect, which is located in South Africa’s semi-desert Karoo region.

The company has also had success in Southern Africa with its bulk cyanide gold leach (Bleg) technique and developed the mini-Bleg technique to ease the logistics of field teams.

Moir says the company’s major successes include finds by liquidated diamond exp-loration company Pangea DiamondFields, in Tanzania, which are now owned by Tanzania-focused gold pro- ducer African Barrick Gold.

SciServe operates a gas pycnometer – a device used to measure density – for specific gravity measurements.