(Alliance News) - Amur Minerals Corp on Monday said test work has started at its Kun-Manie project in Russia to see if saleable copper concentrate generation is possible.
Amur said it has identified design and operations parameters, and is now carrying out copper concentrate generation test work using some bulk sulphide concentrate from Kun-Manie.
According to Amur, successfully generating copper concentrate would "positively and materially enhance the project economics" given all prior concentrate sale options from the pre-feasibility study conducted in February 2019 excluded copper-derived revenue.
In light of the historical metallurgical test results available to Amur, as well as further bench scale test work in the second half of 2019, a metallurgical processing flowsheet for processing a ten-tonne representative bulk sample (containing 0.76% nickel) proportionately derived from the planned mining areas has been assembled.
At present, contractor Gipronickel puts reported nickel recovery for the life of the mine "in the order of 79.5% yielding a bulk concentrate containing 7.91% nickel", while for copper the recovery is projected at 82.9% and bulk concentrate would likely average 2.23% copper.
Recoveries in the pre-feasibility study were forecast at 80.2% nickel and 79.9% copper.
Bulk concentrate testing from the ten-tonne sample is now taking place to establish whether separate saleable copper concentrate is possible along with nickel concentrate. This, Amur noted, "could provide additive value by streaming funds alongside other forms of financing".
Chief Executive Robin Young said: "Gipronickel has delineated specific operational parameters related to the processing of all Kun-Manie ores that have been drill identified over the life of the project.
"The global metallurgical test work programme has identified the preferred processing flowsheet, related processing equipment and reagent consumption for ore treatment. Metallurgical recoveries of approximately 80% for nickel and 82% for copper are highly similar and within 3% of the results presented and utilised in the February 2019 pre-feasibility study."
"This important information allows for refinement of both capital and operating costs at the process plant for inclusion in the Russian feasibility study and subsequent update into western feasibility study level documents," he continued.
Young added: "Important information such as the copper and other metal contents and the composition of the included waste minerals within the copper concentrate will enable us to determine the full economic impact on the overall project economics and most importantly, allow for identification of specific copper stream purchasers."
Shares in Amur were up 1.1% at 1.84 pence in London on Monday morning.
By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com
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Amur Minerals (AMC)