TIDM1SN
RNS Number : 6699M
First Tin PLC
18 September 2023
18 September 2023
First Tin Plc
("First Tin" or "the Company")
End-to-End Mineral Processing Testwork Successfully Completed on
Taronga Tin Project Bulk Sample
First Tin PLC, a tin development company with advanced, low
capex projects in Germany and Australia, is pleased to report that
results of the end-to-end mineral processing testwork have now been
received and compiled on a bulk sample taken from an adit through
the North Pit mineralisation at the Taronga tin project (average
grade 0.18% Sn.) Based on a thorough review of this and other data,
First Tin now believes that it has developed a simple and
cost-effective processing option for the tin mineralisation found
at the asset.
As recently reported, previous crush, jig and spiral test
results confirmed the premise that the cassiterite (SnO(2) - tin
ore mineral) is easily liberated at a coarse crush size and that a
good quality pre-concentrate can be obtained using very simple
gravity separation techniques.
Using coarse gravity techniques only (i.e. no fine tin recovery)
and a processing route that consists only of crushing, jigs,
spirals, grinding and shaking tables, followed by standard tin
dressing techniques including finer grinding and sulphide
flotation, it has been demonstrated that 55-58% of the total tin is
recovered into a plus 56% Sn, low impurity tin concentrate. An
additional 5-6% recovery is possible from a fine tin circuit.
Due to the simplicity of the coarse tin only circuit, this
processing flow sheet has now been chosen as the most viable option
for the DFS, with the possible addition of a fine tin recovery
circuit and/or supplementary crushing options being investigated as
part of future optimisation work to further increase recovery
rates. Ongoing recovery studies on lower-grade samples are also
currently in progress, designed to obtain a good grade-recovery
curve for use in the DFS, which we aim to complete during Q1 2024.
These results will be announced when received.
Summary
-- A combined conventional and VSI crushing product containing
82% of the tin in 46% of the mass in the -2.8 mm fraction, was sent
to ALS in Burnie for gravity processing testwork.
-- The -2.8 mm product was screened at 0.4 mm, with the coarse
fraction going to jigs and the fine fraction to spirals.
-- The jigs recovered 83% of the tin in the feed (32% of total
tin) into a concentrate grading 1.21% Sn. This concentrate (7% of
initial mass) was crushed/ground from 2.8 mm to 0.3 mm.
-- The spirals recovered 67% of the tin in the feed (29% of
total tin) into a concentrate grading 4.57% Sn.
-- A re-grind of the rougher spiral tail (17% of initial mass)
from 0.40mm to 0.15mm, followed by a scavenger spiral, recovered an
additional 40% of the feed tin (6% of total tin) into a concentrate
grading 0.62% Sn.
-- The jig concentrates and the two spiral concentrates were
then combined into a single concentrate grading 1.66% Sn containing
67% of the total tin in 8% of the initial mass.
-- This concentrate was subsequently treated by locked cycle
grinding and tabling to produce a concentrate grading 16.4% Sn
containing 56% of the total tin in 0.6% of the mass.
-- Clean-up of this concentrate by grinding to 0.15mm and
floating off the sulphides returned a cleaner concentrate grading
56.2% Sn containing 55% of the tin in 0.20% of the mass.
-- Recycling of the plus 53 um tails from the lock cycle test
work could add an additional 1-3% recovery overall to the coarse
tin circuit. This could be improved even further via recycling all
plus 38um material.
-- The main losses of tin result from the initial crushing stage
(15% grading 0.07% Sn), the spiral tail (9% grading 0.10% Sn) and
the shaking table tail (12% grading 0.29% Sn). This tin is mainly
deported into the fine fractions (<38 um). Further work to
refine these steps and increase recovery is proposed.
-- A fines circuit consisting of cyclone de-sliming, Falcon
separation, MGS separation and cassiterite flotation has been shown
to recover an additional 5-6% of the fine tin to a 13% Sn
concentrate that may be able to be blended back into the coarse tin
concentrate, taking total tin recovery to between 58% and 63%
albeit additional work is required to optimise and improve the
grade and quality of the concentrate to allow it to be used as a
blend
Based on the results of this test work, a simple processing
facility has been designed consisting of (Figure 1):
-- A conventional 3-stage crushing circuit consisting of a jaw
and 2 cones. This will operate only during daylight hours (10 hours
per day) in order to take advantage of a proposed solar farm that
will significantly reduce electricity costs.
-- Screening at 2.8mm.
-- Vertical impact crushers (VSI) that will operate 24 hours per
day to recover additional tin from the crusher oversize stockpile.
This will again be screened at 2.8mm, with oversize going directly
to a proposed co-disposal tailings storage facility.
-- Screening of the re-combined -2.8mm crushed fraction at
0.4mm, with oversize going to jigs and undersize to spirals.
-- The jig concentrate will be screened and the oversize
material crushed/ground (<5% of initial mass) to 0.3 mm.
Undersize will be cleaned up with a spiral-table combination. Jig
tails will go directly to the proposed co-disposal tailings storage
facility.
-- The spiral middlings will be ground in a ball/rod mill to
0.15mm followed by scavenger spiral concentration. The tails from
this will go directly to the proposed co-disposal tailings storage
facility. The concentrate will be cleaned up with a spiral-table
combination and combined with the other jig/spiral
concentrates.
-- Table concentrates from the jigs and spiral circuits will be
ground to 0.15mm prior to processing through magnetic separators
and sulphide flotation. Magnetic and sulphide concentrates will be
pumped to a thickener and then to a dedicated sulphide storage
facility.
-- Further dressing may be undertaken in the dressing shed to
increase concentrate tin grade and remove more impurities if
required.
Figure 1 shows the current simplified flowchart for the proposed
mill design.
First Tin CEO Thomas Buenger said: "This processing testwork has
identified a clear path forward to produce a saleable tin
concentrate from the Taronga tin deposit using very simple, cheap,
off the shelf mineral processing equipment such as jigs, spirals
and shaking tables. A good quality concentrate can be produced at
reasonable recovery rates using very simple equipment, resulting in
lower capital and operating costs.
"These results also show that recoveries can be boosted by
recovering tin from the fine fraction (<38um) using more complex
and sophisticated high G force gravity separation techniques as
well as via cassiterite flotation. We look forward to announcing
further optimisations at this asset in the coming months."
The project is owned by First Tin's 100% owned Australian
subsidiary, Taronga Mines Pty Ltd ("TMPL").
Figure 1: Taronga Simplified Mineral Processing Flow Chart
Enquiries:
First Tin Via SEC Newgate below
Thomas Buenger - Chief Executive
Officer
Arlington Group Asset Management
Limited (Financial Advisor
and Joint Broker)
Simon Catt 020 7389 5016
WH Ireland Limited (Joint
Broker)
Harry Ansell 020 7220 1670
SEC Newgate (Financial Communications)
Elisabeth Cowell / Molly FirstTin@secnewgate.co.uk
Gretton
Notes to Editors
First Tin is an ethical, reliable, and sustainable tin
production company led by a team of renowned tin specialists. The
Company is focused on becoming a tin supplier in conflict-free, low
political risk jurisdictions through the rapid development of high
value, low capex tin assets in Germany and Australia.
Tin is a critical metal, vital in any plan to decarbonise and
electrify the world, yet Europe has very little supply. Rising
demand, together with shortages, is expected to lead tin to
experience sustained deficit markets for the foreseeable future.
Its assets have been de-risked significantly, with extensive work
undertaken to date.
First Tin's goal is to use best-in-class environmental standards
to bring two tin mines into production in three years, providing
provenance of supply to support the current global clean energy and
technological revolutions.
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