The hot commissioning of the third of eight planned kilns at its Limeco quicklime project in Zambia is under way, Africa-focused quicklime producer and critical minerals explorer Firering Strategic Minerals stated last month.

“The hot commissioning of Kiln 3 is a defining moment for Limeco. With all three kilns now in operation, we expect combined production to exceed 200 t/d, putting Limeco on track to becoming one of the largest high- quality lime producers in Zambia. Most importantly, this represents the inflection point for Limeco, moving from an effective breakeven operation into profitable production, with the business expected to be cash flow positive by year-end,” said Firering chairperson and interim CEO Youval Rasin.

He noted that the focus was to progress Kiln 3 to steady-state production and advance the renovation works on Kiln 4 in preparation for commissioning in a few months’ time.

He added that continued modifications to the hydration plant are expected to lift hydrated lime output beyond the current 100 t/d, while expressing delight that Firering has increased its interest in Limeco to 45%, further aligning it with the operation’s “long-term growth and value creation”.

In the operations update, the company noted that, following completion of the planned renovation of Kiln 3, the gasifier had been refired and Kilns 1 and 2 resumed production.

Kiln 3 was hot commissioned on July 20, with first quicklime production expected within a few days of the commissioning.

The company reported that modification works on Kiln 4 were ongoing and remained on track for commissioning by year-end.

“As additional kilns are brought online, Limeco will benefit from economies of scale, providing improved operating efficiencies [owing] to higher production outputs.”

Firering commented that Limeco’s lime is “recognised for its high purity and quality”, supporting demand from the mining, infrastructure, agriculture and industrial sectors.

As of mid-July, kiln feed had been sourced from existing surface stockpiles, which were nearly depleted. However, Limeco anticipated this, and started dewatering the existing quarry ensuring that the water levels dropped to below the previously blasted benches, providing easy access to more feed until such a time when a mining plan to widen and deepen the quarry is finalised.