Perth, Jan 29, 2008 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Emerging nickel producer Nickelore Ltd (ASX: NIO) has today announced the discovery of a calcrete subcrops at the Company's Canegrass Nickel Cobalt Project.
This discovery has the potential to significantly reduce the operating costs of a proposed heap leach nickel plant, currently subject to scoping studies Nickelore has mapped the outcrop discovery, cut a cross-section trench to test the thickness of the calcrete layer and collected metallurgical samples.
Table 1 below provides an exploration potential estimate of the contained calcrete within one of these outcrops in the mapped area.
--------------------------------------------- Area Thickness Volume Density Tonnes---------------------------------------------24,100 m2 2 m 48,200 2.6 125,320---------------------------------------------
Managing Director Iggy Tan said that analysis of the calcrete bulk sample showed an excellent calcium carbonate CaCO3 content of 41%. Metallurgical test work using the calcrete sample for neutralisation of the heap leach pregnant liquor solution (PLS) confirmed it's neutralisation potential, in line with the active calcium carbonate content. The testwork showed that the calcrete would be a suitable alternative or supplements limestone for neutralisation.
"These results are very encouraging, given the excellent recent extraction, agglomeration and percolation test work on the ore".
"Nickel laterite heap leach operations, require significant quantities of acid for nickel extraction and calcium for subsequent acid neutralisation," said Mr Tan.
"These calcium neutralising reagents represent a large component (between 15% and 20%) of the consumable operating costs, consequently, the discovery of calcrete on site has the potential to deliver significant cost savings".
"Examination of Nickelore's tenements has identified at least 12 other sites in the Canegrass project area with the potential to yield more calcrete".
"In this context, initial field work indicates that more discoveries are highly likely."
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Contact
Iggy Tan
Managing Director
TEL: +61-8-9481-2433
email: iggy@nickelore.com.au
John Nayton - External Affairs
TEL: +61-422-414-983
email: naytoncom@bigpond.com
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