TIDMBMR
RNS Number : 6441U
BMR Mining PLC
31 July 2015
BMR Mining PLC
("BMR" or the "Company")
Significant Testing Progress Update
BMR Mining PLC, the Zambian-focused mineral processing business,
is pleased to announce significant progress on its testing
results.
Highlights:
- Wash Plant Tailings demonstrate materially increased lead and
zinc recoveries during additional laboratory optimisation
testing;
- successful recovery of lead and zinc products by precipitation
and electro winning from the pregnant liquor solution;
- potential recovery of 77% of zinc from Imperial Smelting
furnace slag, a resource that was previously written off;
- recognising positive metallurgical work undertaken, the
Company intends to commence pilot processing plant operations this
financial year.
Alex Borrelli, CEO and Chairman, commented:
"We are delighted to have achieved positive progress across our
recent metallurgical testing which could significantly enhance the
inherent value of the Company's commercial interests going forward.
While shareholders should be aware that the results of the
laboratory tests may not be matched by commercial processing, we
are confident that the processes are scalable and we will move
quickly through to the pilot plant stage of evaluation.
"As shareholders will likely appreciate there is still further
work to undertake but receiving this positive data at this stage
makes a tremendous difference and greatly encourages the BMR
team.
"We are enthusiastically pushing forward and further operational
news updates will follow in the near term as the Company continues
its work."
Wash Plant Tailings
The Company is pleased to announce that, following further
laboratory testing, our optimisation of the proposed acid/brine
leach process has resulted in the possibility of achieving higher
metal recoveries from the Wash Plant Tailings (WPT) than previously
reported.
The WPT was estimated by Mineral Corporation Consultancy (Pty),
in its March 2012 report, to contain 573,458 dry tonnes (JORC
compliant) at a mean grade of 10.66% Zn and 7.21% Pb (61.4kt
contained Zn and 41.3kt contained Pb).
The potential lead and zinc recoveries that have been achieved
into a Pregnant Liquor Solution (PLS) are 94.2% Pb and 79.6% Zn.
These higher recoveries compare favourably with the earlier test
results announced of 80% Pb and 70% Zn for the WPT and proving the
commercial viability of scaling this new process will be the next
stage of our evaluation.
This test work was carried out in conjunction with the Company's
Mineral Processing Partner in its metallurgical test laboratory and
was witnessed by Jeremy Hawke, Director, and Dr Geoff Casson,
General Manager, Kabwe.
Final Products
The Company also announces the successful recovery in testing by
precipitation and electro winning from the PLS of the following
products:
-- a lead sponge with a grade of 96% Pb
-- a rough zinc cathode with a grade of 98.72% Zn
-- a refined zinc cathode with a grade of 99.6% Zn
Imperial Smelting Furnace Slag (ISF Slag)
The Company was advised last year that the effective economic
recovery of zinc from the ISF slag would prove difficult, being
brittle and hard to process, and consequently the value of this
resource was written off in the 2014 Annual Report.
The ISF slag had been estimated by Mineral Corporation
Consultancy (Pty), in its March 2012 report to contain 1,481,563
dry tonnes (non-JORC) at a mean grade of 8.07% Zn (119.6kt
contained Zn).
As the ISF slag comprises a significant unexploited zinc
resource, the Directors decided to re-examine the potential for the
recovery of zinc from this source and we have been working closely
with our consultants in order to assess commercial feasibility.
Following recent mineralogical and exploratory metallurgical test
work the Company is pleased to announce that, in conjunction with
its Mineral Processing Partner, a recovery of 77.2% Zn has been
successfully achieved in laboratory analysis. This metallurgical
test work was also witnessed by Jeremy Hawke and Dr Geoff
Casson.
Further work will now be undertaken to optimise this recovery
and to establish if it can also be processed by the proposed flow
sheet for the other Kabwe tailings and residues. In the event that
this further work concludes positively, the Company will commission
a JORC compliant survey of the ISF slag.
Pilot Plant Processes and Intellectual Property
The metallurgical processes that have been developed to achieve
the recoveries and final products above are proprietary to BMR and
your Directors are taking the appropriate steps to protect this
intellectual property. These processes are being incorporated into
the design of the Kabwe pilot plant.
Subject to the approval of the Zambian Environmental Management
Agency ("ZEMA") when finalised plans are submitted within the next
four weeks, the Company intends to commence pilot plant operations
in this financial year. It is also the intention of the Company to
process first the higher-grade, higher-recovery WPT to generate
initial returns from the Company's asset base.
Note:
This release has been reviewed by Geoff Casson, B.Sc. (Hons),
PhD, R Eng (Zambia), Member Engineering Institute of Zambia
(Metallurgy), General Manager of the Company's Zambian subsidiary,
Enviro Processing Ltd, who is a Qualified Person in accordance with
the guidance note for Mining, Oil & Gas Companies issued by the
London Stock Exchange in respect of AIM Companies.
Ends
For further information:
BMR Mining PLC 020 7734 6252
Alex Borrelli, CEO and Chairman
WH Ireland Limited 020 7220 1666
Chris Fielding, Head of Corporate Finance
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
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