Ann: Bald Hill Delivers Excellent Metallurgical Test Work Results, page-2

"Bald Hill Delivers Excellent Metallurgical Test Work Results
Tawana Resources NL (TAW:ASX) (Tawana) and Alliance Mineral Assets Limited
(SGX:AMA) (AMAL) are pleased to announce encouraging metallurgical test work
results from the Bald Hill Lithium and Tantalum Mine in Western Australia.
The test work on ore fines delivered excellent results from both fine Dense Media
Separation (DMS) and flotation, highlighting the potential to increase proposed
lithium production during 2018. Bald Hill remains on track to commence
commissioning in the first quarter of 2018.
The Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS)
1&2 Design Mass Balance had 17.8% of lithium ore feed
reporting to fines and 10.3% of ore feed reporting to middling concentrates
(middlings). This represents 28.1% of feed containing 29.6% of the contained lithium
which is not contained in the PFS production profile, highlighting the significance of
the potential production increase.
Highlights
• Three-stage sighter flotation test work returned a recovery to concentrate of 83%
at a concentrate grade of 4.7% Li2O from feed at P80 passing 0.212mm.
• DMS test work on 0.3-1mm Fines indicates a range of 71% to 91% recovery of
lithium with a concentrate grades of up to 5.3% Li2O.
• Preliminary assessment indicates the fine DMS option would be a significantly
lower cost Phase 2 option for the bulk of the combined fines and middlings.
• Conceptually the middlings would be crushed with +1mm material and passed
through a small middlings DMS whilst the 0.3-1mm will be passed through a small
fine DMS (Both Phase 2 DMS). These two fractions are likely to represent about
20% of total plant feed and 24% of contained Lithium.
• The average production rate in the PFS is approximately 150,000tpa of
spodumene concentrate. Based on 70% recovery the Phase 2 DMS has the
potential to increase spodumene production by 25% with a combined Phase 1
and Phase 2 DMS recovery of about 82.5%.
• Phase 2 DMS concentrate production would have a relatively low incremental
unit cost given most costs are carried by Phase 1 operating costs, including
mining, primary crushing and the bulk of the labour and general and
administration costs.
Tawana Managing Director Mark Calderwood stated: “The recent test work gives great
encouragement that fines and middlings from the DMS under construction can be
recovered into a saleable spodumene concentrate, relatively easily. The addition of a
fines circuit would increase annual production at a marginal incremental cost which
should generate great returns.” etc