Bannerman eyes more cost savings at Etango

11th April 2018 By: Esmarie Iannucci - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Australasia

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Uranium developer Bannerman Resources has flagged "substantial" reagent/operating cost reductions at its uranium mine, in Namibia, following a membrane study.

The study has also identified capital savings, the final quantum of which will be confirmed during the definitive feasibility study update, the ASX-listed company said.

Bannerman in late 2017 mobilised a membrane pilot test rig to site to undertake an initial testwork programme. Significant volumes of pregnant leach solution were obtained from the operation, and an ion-exchange process was used to make concentrated eluate solution, which was also used in the testwork.

The membrane study tested the effectiveness of five different membrane types on two different solution streams, both generated from the Etango heap-leach demonstration plant.

The company said that this work had successfully demonstrated the ability of the nano-technology to recover acid for re-use and upgrade the uranium concentration in the solution nearly ten-fold.

“The amenability of the Etango project to recent advances in established nano-filtration technology is an exciting outcome that further confirms the robust economics and low technical risk of the Etango project,” said Bannerman CEO Brandon Munro.

“I am delighted that this success further enhances Etango, both economically and operationally, as a world-class, highly-advanced and strategically important uranium project.”

The results from the membrane study followed a processing optimisation study, which was released in November last year, and which reduced the expected capital costs by about $73-million, from a previous estimate of $870-million.