“Exceptional initial metallurgical results” sup-port the recently announced concept studies results showing that ASX-listed exploration com- pany Metals of Africa’s products from its Mozam-bique graphite projects are likely to be among the lowest operational expenditure (opex) and the highest grades available.

The Montepuez project, in the Cabo Delgado province, has a Joint Ore Reserves Committee- (Jorc-) compliant resource estimate of 61.6-million tonnes at 10.3% total graphitic carbon (TGC). Based on a processing rate of 1.2-million tonnes a year, the project is expected to have a mine life of more than 60 years, Creamer Media’s Africa Research Channel reported in March. The nearby Balama Central project has a Jorc estimate of 16.3-million tonnes at 10.4% TGC.

A concept study into Montepuez has esti-mated that the project could deliver up to 100 000 t/y of graphite concentrate for a capital investment of $166-million, while the Balama Central project is estimated to contain about 1.7-million tonnes of graphite and 34 000 t of vanadium oxide.

Key stage-one metallurgical results included a concentrate grade of more than 96% TGC, achieved in the first round of testwork, as well as high graphite recovery achieved with coarse primary grind size, while flotation parameters identified the potential to reduce plant capital and operating costs, the company reported in a statement earlier this month.

“Simple metallurgy is key to successful graphite deposits and our initial findings indicate that a high-quality product will be obtained using a simple flow sheet, which ultimately equates to achieving very low opex and capital expenditure,” MTA MD Cherie Leeden stated in a company statement earlier this month.

Composite metallurgical samples were sourced from all mineralised lithologies from the Montepuez and Balama Central projects. These samples were used to perform stage-one metallurgical work such as rougher flotation testwork for both projects.

Detailed flotation metallurgical work will continue as part of the Metals of Africa strategy to fast-track the projects to development.

Detailed cleaner circuit, flake size and assay testwork, as well as a bulk sampling programme, are under way.

Testing services provider ALS Ammtec, which has completed several graphite testwork programmes, is conducting the work, with over-sight from a local engineering company.

Further, Metals of Africa is obtaining a bulk sample of several tonnes for pilot plant testwork to generate sufficient sample quantity and quality for downstream testwork by several end-users.

These samples were expected to arrive in Perth, Western Australia, later this month for testing, the company noted.