Burke graphite sent to China to set processing specs

Queensland’s critical minerals scope is widening with an announcement by Lithium Energy that it is progressing with work to prove up the Burke Graphite Project. The Burke Graphite Project comprises two granted Exploration Permits for Minerals (EPM) totalling approximately 26 square kilometres located 125km north of Cloncurry. ASX listed Lithium Energy has commenced metallurgical test work on around a tonne of core samples recovered from a recently completed infill drilling program. Core samples from recent drilling at the Burke Project The work, which will be undertaken by The Beijing General Research Institute for Mining and Metallurgy Technology Group (BGRIMM) in China, includes assessing and optimising flotation conditions, conducting open circuit flowsheet development test work to optimise the concentrator flowsheet and conducting closed loop circuit test work to optimise flowsheet recovery. It was a significant announcement said William Johnson, Executive Chairman. “Following the highly successful infill drilling at Burke, which reported multiple significant intersections of +20% TGC (Graphite), this metallurgical test work programme is a very important step in the development pathway of the Burke Project,” Mr Johnson said. “The Company is very pleased to be working with the highly regarded BGRIMM Laboratory in Beijing and we are looking forward to taking the results of this programme into our planned engineering studies for mine, processing and purified spherical graphite manufacturing.” The recently completed infill drilling programme on the Burke Tenement included diamond core (metallurgical and geotechnical) holes to provide representative graphite samples for a comprehensive metallurgical, Purified Spherical Graphite (PSG) and Anode test work and development programme the company told the ASX. Working toward manufacturing ‘The planned upgrade in the resource classification of the Burke Deposit (expected in March/April 2023) and the metallurgical and PSG optimisation test work will support a proposed Engineering Study to assess the viability of establishing a PSG Anode manufacturing facility, using the Burke graphite as feedstock material,’ the announcement said. The BGRIMM test work would assess all aspects of the Burke graphite towards developing an optimised flake concentrator flowsheet and the results would inform the planned Engineering Study, including defining the process design criteria and process plant flowsheet configuration, it said. BGRIMM will also utilise an in-house Pilot Plant to produce bulk flake concentrate. ‘This Burke graphite flake concentrate will form the feedstock material for a planned Anode development test work programme to define and optimise the metallurgical and process conditions to produce Purified Spherical Graphite (PSG) suitable for use in Lithium-ion battery anodes,’ the announcement said. The EPM is in an established graphite mining province adjacent to the Mt Dromedary Graphite Project held by Novonix Limited.

Burke graphite sent to China to set processing specs

Industry Queensland

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