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February 2017
MODERN MINING
27
GRAPHITE
Lindi hosts the highest grade resource in Tanzania
The measured, indicated and inferred resources at Lindi Jumbo total 29,6 Mt at
11 % TGC. Approximately 40 % of the resource is in the measured (6,4 Mt at
12,2 % TGC) and indicated (5,5 Mt at 11 % TGC) categories for 1,38 Mt of con-
tained flake graphite.
The resource includes 4,7 Mt of super high grade material at 22,8 % TGC in
three discrete shallow zones of which 1,7 Mt are in the measured category – con-
firming this to be by far the highest grade resource inTanzania, saysWalkabout.
Trench mapping at Lindi Jumbo.
scavenger flotation, regrind cleaner flota-
tion, filtration and concentrate drying,
screening of final product concentrate and
bagging of concentrate.
The plant has been sized for a feed of
300 kt/a of ore with a grade of >16 % TGC
to produce a graphite flake concentrate
with an average grade of 97 % TGC. This
corresponds to a graphitic carbon recovery
of between 85 and 90 %.
The DFS says that much of the equip-
ment is likely to be sourced from China
where several decades of graphite process-
ing IP is located.
Four high purity products (96 % to
98 % TGC) are planned to be produced
at Lindi Jumbo and the life of mine aver-
age ratio includes a weathered allocation
of ore and a fresh allocation with a cut off
being determined to be 10 m below surface.
The products are targeted towards the high
end markets with an estimated 8 000 t/a of
Super Jumbo (+500 µm) and 14 000 t/a of
Jumbo (+300 µm) products suitable for the
expandable natural flake markets.
Design for a tailings storage facility (TSF)
has been progressed beyond the 20 %design
stage. The proposed TSF will cover an area
of approximately 17 hectares and consist
of an initially engineered waste rock wall
with a maximum height of 8 m (at the low-
est point), sufficiently high to contain the
tailings material during the initial period
with a rate of rise greater than the specified
maximum of 2 m per year. The TSF will be
constructed in phases.
The bulk power supply will be provided
by diesel driven generators pending con-
nection to a high reticulation feed while the
bulk water supply will be derived from a
bore field in close proximity to the mine.
Photos (unless otherwise acknowledged) courtesy of
Walkabout Resources