NEWS
processes, but also on ready
access to essential raw materials,”
adds Hertani. One of Suricate
Minerals’ most promising
prospects is in Tasiast in north-
west Mauritania, about 200km
from the Port of Nouadhibou.
The tenement possesses
high-purity quartz, with around
99.99% pure silicon, which is a
sufficiently pure metallurgical
grade for solar-cell production a
highly-competitive renewable-
energy sector. In addition, such
high-grade silica is prevalent
in other hi-tech advances from
touch screens to high-end optic
products.
It is also ideal for glass and
dry graded silica sand, used
extensively in water purification,
filtration and separation systems.
Silica sand can be used as a filter
media to remove solids to a level
of between 30 and 40 microns in
water purification, where solids
removal is essential. Moreover,
it constitutes the major raw
material for engineering panels,
another niche market with an
exponential growth rate.
Suricate Minerals aims to supply raw materials for the
clean-energy boom.
Clean energy drives demand for silica
The race to develop more
effective and efficient solar
panels has resulted in an
increased demand for relatively
rare raw materials such as high-
grade quartz silica. To meet this
demand, Suricate Minerals is
fast-tracking its development of
high-quality quartz deposits in
Mauritania.
The mining and exploration
company is positioning itself
strategically to supply raw
materials of exceptional quality
for the clean-energy boom,
which is spurring innovation in
everything from solar panels to
electric cars.
“In order to play our role
in contributing to a better
world for all, we focus on the
raw-material requirements of
these new industries, which
require complementary mining
development to be able to
advance,” says Ahmed Hertani,
executive director at Suricate
Minerals.
“The competition between the
major innovators in this space
not only relies on improved
Suricate Minerals is fast-tracking raw silica and quartz tenements in
Mauritania.
Silica aids in the efficiency
of biomass production by
improving heat transfer and
controlling temperatures,
as well as limiting nitrogen
oxide emissions and reducing
corrosion. Silica also maximises
energy conversion in solar
panels, so supporting one of the
world’s cleanest and cheapest
available energy sources. Silica
is also an essential component
in the fibreglass used to
manufacture wind-turbine
panels due to its excellent
strength-to-weight ratio.
“Our long-term vision is not
only to produce raw silica and
quartz materials, but to have
some level of further production
undertaken in-country, to
facilitate the creation of
downstream job opportunities,”
says Hertani.
While still in the early stages
of developing its prospects in
Mauritania, Suricate Minerals
has conducted considerable
geophysical and geochemistry
testing at various sites to date,
with positive results verified
by German materials testing
and analysis company Dorfner
Anzaplan.
“We continue to receive
significant interest from
investors and project developers
in collaborating on our
prospects, which include
quartz, barite, lithium, copper
and gold. With the support of
financers and proven project
partners, we could have
operational quartz mines within
the next year,” says Hertani.
In addition to the extraction
of silica, Suricate Minerals
hopes to produce both
quartz lumps and sands.
Mauritania has an established
quartz mining and product
manufacturing sector, with
companies producing high-
quality white crystalline, semi-
crystalline and milky quartz
grit, sand, lumps and white
and coloured quartz blocks.
Other products include quartz
tiles, mosaic slabs, kitchen
countertops, backsplashes,
wall cladding, tables, sinks
and bathtubs.
QUARRY SA | MAY/JUNE 2018 _ 7