Messina Bulk Sample Test Work Yields Positive Resu
MESSINA LIMITED
News Release
Johannesburg, 21 February 2001;... Messina Limited announced today that
metallurgical test work on an 80 tonne underground bulk sample taken from its
70.4% owned platinum group metals ("PGMs") Messina project in the Northern
Province has confirmed the mined head grades and metal recovery rates contained
in the Messina project feasibility study of February 2000. Based on the test
results, the grinding circuit design will now be simplified which will result
in a reduction in capital costs and operating expenses at the mine.
The underground bulk sample was taken from the UG2 and Merensky reefs on the
200 level in late 2000 and was shipped directly to Mintek, an independent
metallurgical laboratory specializing in PGM projects. The run-of-mine ore was
blended by Mintek for test work at 60% UG2 and 40% Merensky, emulating the
planned Messina product mix at full production. The objectives of the work
carried out by Mintek were to confirm feasibility estimates of mined head
grades and PGM recovery rates. A further objective of the work was to
determine whether alternative crushing and grinding circuits would improve the
economics of the Messina project.
The test results and comparisons to the estimates utilized in the feasibility
study are as follows:
Bulk Sample Test Results (5 PGMs plus gold)
Feasibility Bulk Sample
Estimates Test Results
Mined Head Grade
(grams per tonne) 5.68 6.19
Recovery Rates:
Run-of-mine ball mill 94.8%
Rod mill 85.7% 93.3%
Because of the increased size of the equipment planned for the full-scale mill
compared to the pilot plant scale of the laboratory, the recovery rates from
the actual Messina plant are likely to be 2.5% to 5% lower than those achieved
from the test work, but should still be 3% to 5% above feasibility estimates.
A further positive outcome of the Mintek work is that a run-of-mine ball mill
should achieve approximately the same PGM plus gold recoveries in the
floatation circuit, as would a rod mill. The use of a run-of-mine ball mill
instead of a rod mill will allow for the removal of the secondary and tertiary
crushing circuits from the Messina project which will reduce both the capital
and operating costs of the concentrator.
Messina Limited Chairman, Dr. Chris Jennings stated that "all the test work
to-date on Messina has confirmed the estimates made in last year's feasibility
study. We are now increasingly confident that the projections made in that
study will be met or exceeded."
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