FEATURE
Platinum Group Metals mining and processing project elevates platinum to a new level
The innovative new platinum
group metals ( PGMs ) mining and processing project that slashes 82 % off electricity use and elevates platinum to a new high level of greenness leapt out of its starting blocks in the North-West province this month .
“ We ’ ve commenced . The tanks are rolling ,” Pallinghurst managing partner and cofounder Arne Frandsen told Engineering News & Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview . PGMs producer Sedibelo Platinum Mines Limited , of which Frandsen is chairperson , is expanding its Pilanesberg Platinum Mines and building the revolutionary new ‘ green ’
Kell processing plant , which uses only 18 % of the energy normally associated with conventional PGMs smelting , axes associated carbon emissions , improves recoveries , lowers operating costs and eliminates sulphur dioxide emissions .
Kell ’ s carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) emissions from concentrate to final refined metals are only 19 % of the CO2 emissions caused by the current smelting / refining route .
Sedibelo shares an interest in Kell South Africa with the State-owned Industrial Development Corporation ( IDC ) and founder Keith Liddell through Lifezone .
“ The IDC has been an enormously supportive investor since 2012 . They ’ ve put money in , they ’ ve put quality management in and when it comes to Kell , before it was fashionable , the IDC was part of it . I ’ m extremely happy and we ’ re very fortunate to have this relationship with the government through the IDC ,” Frandsen added .
The end products can be customised and the proposed Sedibelo Kell plant will be producing refined 99.95 % PGM metal products . Locked-up ‘ work in progress ’ PGMs inventory is 90 % lower , releasing working capital and shortening payment pipelines from several months for
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