TIDMATM
RNS Number : 7585K
AfriTin Mining Ltd
06 September 2021
6 September 2021
AfriTin Mining Limited
("AfriTin" or the "Company")
By-Product Development and Exploration Drilling Programme
AfriTin Mining Limited (AIM: ATM), an African tin mining company
with its flagship asset, the Uis Tin Mine ("Uis") in Namibia, is
pleased to provide an update on its lithium and tantalum by-product
development programme and announce a focused geological exploration
drilling programme (Figure 1 and 2).
Highlights:
-- Preliminary results from lithium beneficiation test work
indicate substantial upgrade potential;
-- Tantalum by-product development progressing to pilot
processing design phase; and
-- Initiation of an 8,000 metre lithium and tantalum exploration
drilling programme over the next 12 months.
Link to Figures: https://bit.ly/3kPWibM
Anthony Viljoen (CEO) commented:
"AfriTin has displayed its ability to bring mineral deposits
into production by declaring an ore reserve for tin and bringing
the Phase 1 pilot plant into operational profitability at our
flagship Uis Mine. The metallurgical test work and exploration
programmes being announced today have been designed to increase the
confidence levels of lithium and tantalum by-product potential and
move towards the realisation of additional revenue streams. We are
excited about the opportunity to diversify and consolidate our
tech-metal exposure."
As communicated in the announcement dated 16 September 2019, the
Company announced a JORC (2012)-compliant measured, indicated and
inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) at Uis totalling 71.54
million tonnes of ore containing 95,539 tonnes of tin (Sn) metal at
a grade of 0.134% Sn. In addition, the MRE included tantalum (Ta)
and lithium oxide (Li(2) O) as presented in Table 1.
Table 1 : AfriTin Mining inferred resource estimate (JORC-2012)
for ancillary metals within the V1 and V2 pegmatites at Uis Tin
Mine.
Gross Net Attributable (85%*) Operator
----------------------- -------------------------- ---------------
Inferred Resource Ta (ppm) Li(2) O (%) Ta (ppm) Li(2) O (%)
--------- ------------ ----------- ------------- ---------------
Grade 85 0.63 85 0.63 AfriTin Mining
--------- ------------ ----------- ------------- ---------------
Tonnes (Mt) 71.54 71.54 60.81 60.81 AfriTin Mining
--------- ------------ ----------- ------------- ---------------
Contained metal (t) 6,091 450,265 5,177 382,725 AfriTin Mining
--------- ------------ ----------- ------------- ---------------
Source: CSA Global
Note: Tabulated data have been rounded off. Contained metal for
lithium refers to lithium oxide (Li(2) O)
* AfriTin has an attributable ownership of 85% in Uis with the
remaining 15% owned by The Small Miners of Uis (SMU)
The presence of significant tantalum and lithium oxide
mineralisation within the V1/V2 ore body creates an opportunity for
the development of additional revenue streams to the Company's tin
concentrate product. Therefore, the Company is advancing a
metallurgical test work programme aimed at developing the process
flow to efficiently produce both tantalum and lithium oxide
by-products.
Lithium oxide at Uis occurs primarily as the mineral petalite in
the ore which is treated by the current processing facility. The
Company aims to produce a low iron petalite concentrate containing
a minimum of 4.0% Li(2) O and at maximum of 0.05% Fe(2) O(3) . It
is anticipated that the process flow design of a petalite
concentration circuit will involve a combination of density
separation, flotation and magnetic separation methods. The current
phase of the lithium oxide test work programme will investigate
density separation methods to concentrate petalite. Bulk samples
were acquired from the active mining area and transported to test
work facilities in South Africa. Heavy Liquid Separation (HLS) test
work and pilot Dense Medium Separation (DMS) test work is being
conducted concurrently. Preliminary results from HLS tests indicate
an upgrade factor for lithium oxide of four to five times, which is
in line with the Company's projections for DMS pre-concentration.
HLS and DMS test work will be followed by characterisation of
concentrate samples, which will inform the second phase of test
work.
Tantalum at Uis occurs primarily within Columbite Group Minerals
(CGM) which have a similar density to the tin bearing mineral
cassiterite and is currently recovered as part of the tin
concentrate. At present, the Company does not receive a credit for
the contained tantalum within the tin concentrate. Therefore, the
aim is to separate the tantalum bearing minerals from the tin
concentrate and create a by-product.
Tantalum test work completed to date includes a range of
technologies aimed at exploiting the differences in magnetic
susceptibility of the tantalum and tin bearing minerals. The
results demonstrate the potential to produce a saleable tantalum
concentrate, particularly in the coarser fraction (+1 mm). While
optimisation test work continues, the Company will proceed with the
process flow design for a pilot tantalum concentrate production
facility at Uis, with implementation planned for Q4 of 2021.
In tandem to the metallurgical test work and process
development, AfriTin has commenced a larger exploration focus over
its licence areas (Figure 1). The immediate priority is an infill
exploration drilling programme over the V1/V2 ore body aimed at
increasing the geological confidence of the existing MRE for
tantalum and lithium oxide (Figure 2). The programme aims to
improve the classification of these minerals from inferred to
indicated and measured JORC-compliant categories, for that portion
of the ore body extending to a depth of approximately 150 metres.
This will provide increased confidence in mineral concentration and
production estimation modelling, and may lead to the existing Ore
Reserve Estimate for tin to be updated for tantalum and lithium
oxide. The programme comprises approximately 8,000 metres of
exploration drilling and is expected to run for a period of 12
months from commencement of drilling.
AfriTin Mining Limited +27 (11) 268 6555
Anthony Viljoen, CEO
Nominated Adviser +44 (0) 207 220 1666
WH Ireland Limited
Katy Mitchell
Corporate Advisor and Joint Broker
H&P Advisory Limited
Andrew Chubb
Jay Ashfield
Nilesh Patel +44 (0) 20 7907 8500
Turner Pope Investments
Andy Thacker
James Pope +44 (0) 20 3657 0050
Tavistock Financial PR (United
Kingdom) +44 (0) 207 920 3150
Jos Simson
Nick Elwes
About AfriTin Mining Limited
Notes to Editors
AfriTin Mining Limited is the first pure tin company listed in
London and its vision is to create a portfolio of globally
significant, conflict-free, tin-producing assets. The Company's
flagship asset is the Uis Tin Mine in Namibia, formerly the world's
largest hard-rock open cast tin mine.
AfriTin is managed by an experienced board of directors and
management team with a current strategy to ramp-up production at
the Uis Tin Mine in Namibia to 10,000 tonnes of concentrate in a
Phase 2 expansion, having reached Phase 1 commercial production in
2020. The Company strives to capitalise on the solid supply/demand
fundamentals of tin by developing a critical mass of tin resource
inventory, achieving production in the near term and further
scaling production by consolidating tin assets in Africa.
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