- Mineral Commodities (MRC) and its partner transition to 24-hour operations of Inland Strands ore processing in South Africa
- MRC, in partnership with Blue Bantry Investments, says its half-owned subsidiary, Mineral Sands Resources, will now process ore at the site around the clock
- MRC says the “step-change” to operations is required to meet the Inland Strands annualised production target of 1.2 million tonnes per annum from each primary concentrator plant
- With the successful handling of Inland Strands ore and dewatering of the tailings, MRC says its focus will now shift to optimising plant recoveries and throughputs
- Mineral Commodities is up 3.17 per cent, trading at 6.5 cents at 2:40 pm AEDT
Mineral Commodities (MRC) and its partner have transitioned to 24-hour processing operations of Inland Strands ore, part of the Tormin heavy minerals sands project in South Africa.
MRC, in partnership with Blue Bantry Investments, said its 50-per-cent-owned subsidiary, Mineral Sands Resources, had now begun processing ore from the project 24 hours a day — marking a “step-change” in production capacity.
MRC said around-the-clock operations were required to meet the Inland Strands annualised production target of 1.2 million tonnes per annum from each primary concentrator plant.
The company reported the primary concentrator plant was “performing well” in Inland Strands ore, with plant throughputs of up to 130 to 140 total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) per hour — close to the design rate of 150 TPH.
The combination of debottlenecking and operator training has supported the rapid transition to 24-hour operations, which will support further gains in plant availability.
Improved water recovery from Inland Strands tails dewatering has also significantly reduced water demand from the sea-water intake system, reducing lost operating time from adverse weather conditions.
“We are very pleased with the rapid transition to 24-hour operations — it is a great reflection on the efforts of the MSR team,” MRC Interim Chief Executive Officer Adam Bick said.
“We look forward to processing the Inlands Strands HMC and producing saleable concentrates from the Inland Strands to increase Tormin production levels and sales revenues in line with MRC’s Heavy Minerals division’s objectives.”
With the successful handling of Inland Strands ore and the dewatering of the tailings, the company said its focus would shift to optimising plant recoveries and throughputs.
Mineral Commodities shares were up 3.17 per cent and trading at 6.5 cents at 2:40 pm AEDT.