18 Apr 2016 07:00
18 April 2016
W Resources Plc
("W" or the "Company")
La Parrilla Strong Metal Recovery Results
W Resources Plc (AIM:WRES), the tungsten, copper and gold exploration and development company with assets in Spain and Portugal, is pleased to announce strong metal recovery results for its La Parrilla Fast Track Mine ('FTM') in Spain, from extensive test work conducted in Europe over the last quarter. End to end recoveries through the process plants circuit are estimated at 71% overall WO3 recovery.
The results confirm that the coarse grain nature of the tungsten and tin mineralisation at La Parrilla allows very efficient gravity recovery of the tungsten and tin concentrate at low cost. Waste is easily separated without the need for advanced technologies. Metal recovery is achieved in phase 1 by a jig and mill circuit and upgraded in the existing concentrator. The plant will be designed to optimise recovery with a production rate of 1,300 tonnes per annum ('tpa') of concentrate with the in-built capacity to expand at very low cost to 2,600 tpa.
In addition, comprehensive X-Ray ore sorting has confirmed >93% metal recoveries can be achieved by treating two sized feed streams. The development plan and start-up design will allow installation of ore sorters in the crushing plant in phase 3 to increase capacity to 5,000 tpa of concentrate allowing an efficient expansion. Incorporation of X-Ray sorters in the later phase allows a streamlined initial start-up in the most critical phase 1.
Concentrator optimisation tests revealed further WO3 recoveries can be captured by applying simple gravity separation techniques. A 4% gain in WO3 recovery was measured during feed size optimisation testing. Basic modelling indicates that a further 10% metal can be recovered when simulating the process flowsheet in closed circuit for a total of 14% increase in metal recovery over and above baseline testing.
The increase in metallurgical recovery above the previous baseline testwork program is realised primarily by segregating the feed streams into discrete sizes prior to processing and returning high grade tails streams, and middling streams back to the feed while maintaining product quality. W anticipates producing a tungsten product at 66% WO3 with arsenic levels less than 0.15% and all deleterious elements reporting below analytical detection limits.
Michael Masterman, Chairman of W Resources said: "As we make good progress at La Parrilla, we are pleased to see our plant design and mine development underpinned by strong 70% plus metal recoveries. These results underpin the low capital and operating cost of the project and pave the way for plant engineering which is now underway and we remain on track for first production by the end of 2016."
Enquiries:
W Resources Plc Michael Masterman T: +44 (0) 20 7193 7463 www.wresources.co.uk | Grant Thornton UK LLP Colin Aaronson / Jen Clarke / Harrison Clarke T: +44 (0) 20 7383 5100 |
SI Capital - Joint Broker Andy Thacker / Nick Emerson T: +44 (0) 1483 413500 www.sicapital.co.uk |
Gable Communications Justine James T: +44 (0) 20 7193 7463 M: +44 (0) 7525 324431 |
Northland Capital Partners - Joint Broker John Howes / Abigail Wayne (Corporate Broking) T: +44 (0) 20 03861 6625 www.northlandcp.co.uk |
About La Parrilla
The La Parrilla project site is situated in the Extremadura region of southwest Spain, in the Provinces of Caceres-Badajoz, approximately 310 km southwest of Madrid. The site has exceptional infrastructure in place, which is accessed directly from the highway along a 3 km asphalt road and is serviced by electricity and water. The project comprises a tungsten mine and a tungsten tailings project. The mineral resource estimated by Golder in February 2016 at 0.04% WO3 cut-off grade is 51 million tonnes at 0.096% WO3 and 0.108 Sn, making it one of the largest tungsten deposits in the western world.
Technical information in this report and on the W website has been prepared in accordance with the JORC Code and approved for inclusion by Mr Fernando de la Fuente, is a 'qualified person' in respect of the AIM Rules for Companies with over 41 years' experience in the Exploration and Mining Geology industry. Mr de la Fuente holds a B.Sc. in Geology and an MSc in Geology from the University of Granada in Spain. He is also a member of the Spanish College of Geologists (Number 49), the Spanish Society of Mineralogy, founder member of the Spanish Society of Geology, member of the Spanish Association of Applied Geology to Mineral Deposits, member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc., member of PDAC.