WORLD PROSPECTS
PhotonAssay tech set for Western Africa debut
Chrysos ’ PhotonAssay technology is set to make a debut in the Western Africa market after Capital Ltd ’ s MSALABS signed a provisional five-year agreement with Societe Des Mines De Morila SA at the Morila gold mine in Mali .
The mine , which has an existing drilling contract with Capital Ltd , is 80 % -owned by Firefinch . The ASX-listed company acquired the mine in November 2020 with the view to increase production at the 4.5 Mt / y mill from a current annual production profile of 40,000 oz / y of gold from tailings treatment , towards a target of 70,000-90,000 oz / y of gold through mining of small open pits , stocks and tailings from mid- 2021 . In 2022 , Firefinch plans to increase production to 150,000-200,000 oz / y by recommencing mining from the main Morila pit .
The contract , which remains subject to final terms and conditions , could see the first PhotonAssay arrive on site before the end of the year . This would be the first Chrysos unit to be deployed in Western Africa , according to Capital . This news came out in the release of the company ’ s interim results , which outlined a 51.6 % year-on-year boost in revenue to $ 98.7 million and a 238.6 % boost in adjusted profit to
$ 12.7 million .
MSALABS also has a PhotonAssay contract in place with Barrick Gold at the Bulyanhulu mine in Tanzania , which could see the deployment of at least six PhotonAssay units . Capital said the initial Chrysos unit had arrived in Tanzania and was in transit to the Bulyanhulu laboratory , with commissioning anticipated imminently , with the Chrysos team now on site .
An additional Chrysos unit secured for Canada was scheduled for arrival in Val d ’ Or , Quebec , in the December quarter , representing an expansion of MSALABS ’ presence in the country and entry into the prolific Abitibi Belt . Capital Ltd said offtake discussions are well advanced for the unit ’ s capacity .
Capital Ltd Executive Chairman , Jamie Boyton , said of the Photon Assay tech : “ Chrysos has the potential to disrupt the geochemical analysis sector and we are encouraged by the demand we see as we prepare to roll out the second unit in Val d ’ Or in Quebec , Canada , in the December quarter of this year , and the third at Morila in Mali soon thereafter .”
Driven in part by increasing industry focus on safety , sustainability and sample turnaround time , Chrysos PhotonAssay is competing with the centuries-old fire assay process in the gold assaying market . Chrysos says the technology , which originated out of a CSIRO project , is fast taking over fire assay to be the preferred technology of miners and laboratories seeking a solution to the supply chain and environmental challenges created by traditional gold assaying methods .
Hitting samples with high-energy X-rays , PhotonAssay causes excitation of atomic nuclei allowing enhanced analysis of gold , silver and complementary elements in as little as two minutes , Chrysos claims . Importantly , the nondestructive process allows large samples of up to 500 g to be measured and provides a “ true ” bulk reading independent of the chemical or physical form of the sample . www . chrysos . com . au
Cat auto drilling coming to Bloom Lake
Champion Iron Ltd has signed a Letter of Intent with Caterpillar Inc to implement artificial intelligence based Advanced Drilling Technologies on Cat equipment at its Bloom Lake Mine .
The project will progressively implement a remote-controlled , semi – autonomous and fully autonomous Cat electric drilling fleet , utilising the technologies engineered , designed , and / or integrated by Caterpillar .
With Champion contributing its experienced workforce , and Caterpillar ’ s independent dealer , Toromont Cat , its aftermarket support , the collaboration will aim to optimise Bloom Lake ’ s operational productivity and reduce energy consumption , while demonstrating the capabilities of Caterpillar ’ s advanced drilling technologies .
A Drill-to-Mill strategy ( D2M ) is expected to be deployed based on a series of tightly integrated systems , driven by Cat ® MineStar™ solutions , designed to optimise the drilling , loading and hauling processes . D2M is focused on delivering improved milling performance by supplying optimised mill feed , while contending with dynamic operational conditions .
Using real-time data , artificial intelligence and analytics , Caterpillar ’ s integrated technology ” will support Champion ’ s ability to assess the status of machines , technologies , and material to enable more timely and accurate operational
decisions and consistent execution across Champion ’ s entire mining value chain .”
The goal of the collaborative effort will be to deliver a fully integrated drill – to – mill t echnology solution powered by data connectivity and advanced analytics to ultimately improve workflow between the mine and plant , providing a more efficient end-to-end enterprise process that delivers more consistent raw material for final product specification requirements .
Champion ’ s CEO , David Cataford said , “ We are honoured to collaborate with industry leaders like Caterpillar and Toromont Cat , and are confident that our workforce ’ s proven opera tional expertise and ingenuity will be an asset in deploying these technologies . The aim and vision of improving mining practices and ultimately reducing waste and energy use is the foundation of this collaboration . The entire Bloom Lake team has already demonstrated its ability to operate at a consistently high level , since commissioning the mine in 2018 . In doing so , we have continuously strived to improve operations utilising the best existing and new prospective mining technologies . Drill-to-mill aligns with our core value of respecting the land that we exploit , as it will enable us to responsibly extract non-renewable resources using the best means possible .” www . cat . com / mining ; www . championiron . com
20 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2021