LONDON (Alliance News) - Bushveld Minerals Ltd said Thursday that results from its pyro-metallurgical testwork showed it has two viable processing options at its vanadium project in the Limpopo province of South Africa.
The company has been assessing two possible processing routes, a salt roast process to produce vanadium pentoxide flakes and or ferrovanadium, or a smelting route to produce pig iron or steel and high-grade vanadium slag.
Results from the salt roast processing method showed up to 86% recoveries for vanadium extraction at 1200 degrees Celsius using a sodium carbonate sale roast, and up to 79% using a sodium sulphate sale roast.
As a result, under this method the predicted overall vanadium recovery at the plant is 74%.
Earlier in the month Bushveld said results from a modelling exercise using the smelting route were positive.
It will now build on the test results in a scoping study that is already underway.
Shares in Bushveld were trading down 1.0% at 3.84 pence Thursday morning.
By Hana Stewart-Smith; hanassmith@alliancenews.com; @HanaSSAllNews
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Bushveld Minerals (BMN)