from http://www.*.com.au/companies/news/...partners-in-proactive-qa-sessions-187107.html
Joe Kaderavek: Thackaringa ore is completely different to a laterite deposit.
The ore is essentially 20% pyrite (sulphide) mixed with 80% quartz/feldspar.
The recent breakthrough in using simple and low cost gravity separation technique takes advantage of the difference in weight of pyrite (hosting the cobalt) versus quartz/feldspar. We only need to process 20% of mined ore (pyrite) in a refinery. So our refinery will be focused on extracting the cobalt from the sulphide.
Put another way, Cobalt Blue will refine a 0.4-0.45% cobalt concentrate, versus 0.1-0.2% ore which is the case for the vast majority of global projects outside of the Congo.
This upgrading is not available to laterites. Unlike laterites, treating sulphides does not consume large quantities of acid.
Typical consumption for laterites can be 500-1000 kilograms per tonne.
About your 1. Throughout: 5mtpa?? I am thinking more like 1 Mtpa since we would process an ore already at 0.5% and targeted output would be 4000 ton/ year of equivalent metal. But we shareholders do not have all the info. From above COB would consume less acid but how much less, 50% ?? Also no need to buy suplhur since it is within the mined ore....
COB Price at posting:
$1.04 Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
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