Multinational mining and metallurgical company Eramet’s rutile exploration and development project in Cameroon is progressing steadily, with the second phase of exploration under way.

A pilot rutile processing plant is also planned, according to a statement issued by Cameroon Ministry of Mines, Industries and Technological Development Secretary of State Dr Fuh Calistus Gentry to national newspaper Cameroon Tribune during his site visit in January.

“We are very satisfied that the specifications have been respected. In this second phase, we will have indications on how the mineral will be exploited,” he said.

The rutile mineral sands exploration and development project is focused on a rutile block in Akonolinga, situated about 135 km east of Cameroon’s capital city of Yaoundé. The Akonolinga area is home to an estimated potential 500 000 t of rutile out of about three-million tons countrywide – the second largest rutile resource globally after Sierra Leone.

Eramet secured the exploration permits in November 2019, consequently enabling the company to conduct the required fieldwork and feasibility studies to obtain mining agreement in future.

The permit areas, in central Cameroon, had previously been the subject of preliminary exploration campaigns that identified the rutile potential.

In a statement issued in March last year, Eramet said that the project would help diversify its product portfolio on the rutile market, which it termed “a particularly attractive sector”.

Moreover, the project would bolster the company’s TiZir Titanium and Iron mineral sands operation, in Senegal.

“This development is fully in line with Eramet’s strategy to develop a diversified portfolio of assets by exploring for strategic metals in new countries,” the company added.

Further Opportunities

In addition to the Akonolinga project, and given its intention to cultivate a long-term partnership with the Cameroon government, Eramet hopes to identify other opportunities in the country for nickel and cobalt.

To pursue the exploration opportunities in Cameroon, Eramet created a subsidiary, Eramet Cameroun, in December 2019. The subsidiary was granted five permits, encompassing three administrative areas of Cameroon in the central, southern and eastern regions.

These permits cover 2 500 km2, with a prospect 160 km along the Nyong river. The permit areas extend over eight districts, including seven with direct access to the river.

Eramet chose to partner with Cameroonian geological services company BEIG 3 to assist with the exploration work and provide technical supervision, logistics and transportation services.

Dutch soil and water solutions company Eijkelkamp has provided its sonic sampling techniques to assist with Eramet’s drilling work.

The first exploration phase was officially launched in February last year, near the village of Sombo. The Phase 1 exploration work conducted along the Nyong river included reconnaissance work every 10 km, with sampling lines set up every 500 m, to determine the thickness of the mineral sands and to characterise rutile content.

The samples taken were first sent to Yaoundé, where French geotechnical services company Fondasol prepared the samples through particle size separation.

About 60 surveys were conducted, after which the first batch of about 100 samples was sent to geological laboratory Scientific Services, in Cape Town. Some of the samples were also sent to Eramet’s innovation and research centre, in France, for more advanced characterisations.

In a video published by Eramet in December, Eramet mining development manager Christophe Thillier noted that the Phase 1 exploration had successfully identified several areas with rutile potential. Phase 2 exploration officially started in the fourth quarter of last year.

Gentry added, during his January site visit in Akonolinga, that the preliminary gradings were encouraging.

Environmental and Community Considerations

The exploration activities employed latest-generation compact drilling technology that enabled Eramet to adhere to environmental standards, Eramet strategy and investor relations VP Philippe Gundermann pointed out in a statement issued in March last year.

For the compact drilling machine to reach terraces in the riverbed and its tributaries, accessways cleared out.

At only 2.5 m tall, 3.5 m long and 1 m wide, the compact drilling machine was able to pass underneath the plant cover.

A project tracking committee including Ministerial delegates, the gendarmerie brigade, village chiefs and representatives from the neighbouring communities – was established to supervise the community, as well as the environmental, impact of the exploration work.

Compensation was paid against a receipt according to the current price schedule in Cameroon.