Trekkopje strikes ‘yellow cake’ Written by Coastal Writer...

Trekkopje strikes ‘yellow cake’
Written by Coastal Writer
Thursday, 23 April 2009
THE AREVA Namibia Resources technical team has achieved major breakthroughs in its activities by extracting uranium in an alkali heap leach using an alkali leach solution.

Mine Manager of AREVA Resources Namibia, Paul Day, recently declared, “Despite the many challenges faced during this pioneering effort, the AREVA Namibian Resources technical team recently succeeded in achieving two world breakthroughs at the Trekkopje Mine pilot plant.”
Day explained that for the first time in the world’s history, uranium was extracted through an alkali heap leach, and secondly, that the mine used the first application of Nimsix IEX technology to extract uranium from alkali leach solution.
“AREVA Resources Namibia can now confirm that the process design upon which the future operation is planned has proven itself successful,” Day said.
“Visually, the product is of a high quality with very little impurities, we are exceptionally satisfied with the result.”
The pilot plant project at Trekkopje Mine will continue heap leaching to optimise the overall recovery process within the next six months, with the vision to ascertain a better understanding and knowledge of the process in the near future.
The success of this process will allow for the future mining and extraction of uranium from other low grade deposits worldwide.
Once in full production, the Trekkopje Mine will be an open-pit operation, with a planned stacking rate of 100,000 tonnes of crushed ore per day.
According to Alain L’Hour, Projects Director of AREVA Resources Namibia, the mine’s life span, based on current resources is expected to be approximately 11 years.
The AREVA Resources Namibia Desalination Plant will be commissioned once the construction of HV power lines by NamPower are in place towards the end of this year. Twenty cubic metres of potable water will be available to the Trekkopje Mine per annum.
Uranium is the heaviest naturally-occurring element on Earth.