Castle Minerals Leads the Charge in Graphite Exploration in UWR.
Story: Mohammed Abu
Kambale Graphite Project RC Drilling Completed Diamond Core Metallurgical Samples is now in Perth, Castle Minerals Ltd disclosed in a recent official statement.
Phase 2 Test Work, the statement said, was about to commence. Castle Minerals, Managing Director, Stephen Stone, commented, “It’s been a very busy Christmas and a great start to 2023 with the completion at the Kambale Graphite Project in Ghana of a 30-hole, 2,290m RC drilling program and the arrival this week in Perth of 300kg of diamond drill core samples for Phase 2 metallurgical test work that will commence in coming days”.
“The independently estimated exploration target of 16.82-50.46 million tonnes at a grade range between 6.74% and 10.40% TGC, Mr. Stone noted, indicates the Kambale Graphite project has a possible scale and grade to warrant progression to the next phase of assessment.
Phase 2 test work using samples obtained from the now underway diamond core drilling will assess if a commercial grade concentrate can be produced which would then be evaluated for possible use in the manufacture of electric vehicle batteries anodes.
A follow-0n infill RC drilling program will primarily focus on defining recently confirmed multiple grade graphic zones and will also facilitate a maiden JORC 2012 Mineral Resource for delivery around end-Q1 2023.In addition to the large amount of news flow in coming months from the Kambale Graphite Project there will also be a steady stream of updates from Castle’s battery and future metals project in Western Australia
Mr. Stone noted with satisfaction, “Our Ghana team and drilling contractor have worked through the Christmas period to ensure we remain on schedule to tick several important Project milestones this March Quarter including to confirm if we can produce a commercial grade concentrate that can then be evaluated for possible use in the manufacture of electric vehicle battery anodes.”
“It’s going to be a very interesting year for the Project underpinned by the many forecasts for a looming graphite supply deficit on the back of the predicted increase in worldwide sales of electric vehicles and stationary power storage units.” “With Castle also having interests in several other active battery metals projects, base metals and gold projects shareholders can look forward to a busy and exciting 2023.”
The drilling, the release said, was designed primarily to better define the high grade zones intercepted in the previous round of drilling and to facilitate a maiden JORC 2012 Mineral Resource estimate scheduled for delivery around end-Q1 2023, subject to timing of receipt of assay results.
The program was fast tracked with Castle’s geological team and contracted drilling crew working through the Christmas period.
A prior 52 hole, 5,353m RC drill program had extended the deposit’s foot print to 2.5km north-south over a combined width of up to 0.5km with several holes intercepting thick, multiple graphitic zones such as 14m at 8.1% TGC from 47m and 45m at 11.2% TGC from 66m in 22CKRC052.
An independently estimated JORC 2012 Exploration Target of 16.82 million tonnes to 50.46 million tonnes at a grade between 6.74%TGC and 10.40%TGC (Total Graphitic Carbon) was subsequently reported (refer ASX release 28 November 2022).
The Exploration Target has been prepared and reported in accordance with the 2012 edition of the JORC Code. The potential quantity and grade of the Exploration Target is conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource. It is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource.
The Exploration Target was limited to a vertical depth of 100m below surface and highlights that Kambale may have the scale, grade and other attributes to justify its continued evaluation as a possible producer of a commercially acceptable fine flake graphite concentrate. In addition, ~300kg of half core samples from a 4-hole 365m diamond drilling program have just arrived in Perth.
These will be used for Phase 2 metallurgical test work to assess the amenability of the graphitic schist to produce a fine flake graphite concentrate as a base for EV battery anode manufacture. The test work, which will commence in coming days at the facility of Metallurgy Pty Ltd, Perth, will comprise a series of beneficiation, flotation and grinding cycles on composited core aimed at producing a quantity of as near-to commercial grade fine flake graphite concentrate as possible.
The Phase 2 concentrate produced in Perth will then be assessed by a specialist European metallurgical laboratory for its ability to be upgraded and processed (micronised, purified, spheronised and coated) into a battery-grade fine flake concentrate for possible application in electric vehicle battery anode manufacture.
The diamond drill core has been obtained from four locations to provide a broad representation of the graphitic schist material and its variability, especially below the weathering profile. Subject to the success of the test work, the Mineral Resource estimate and other related studies and commercial factors, a development Scoping Study will be considered for Q2 2023.
In 2012 Castle commenced graphite exploration on the Wa Project. A historic graphite occurrence about 5km west of Wa was first noted by Russian geologists whilst prospecting for manganese in the 1960’s.
Castle located the historic trenches and completed mapping, RAB, aircore and RC drilling during the first half on 2012. In July 2012 Castle announced a maiden resource estimate for its Kambale Graphite of 14.4mt @ 7.2% C (graphitic carbon) for 1.03mt contained graphite (Inferred Resource). Flotation testwork was conducted on samples of fresh and weathered graphitic schist from the Kambale deposit. Microscopic examination of some flotation concentrates indicated that the graphite flakes were up to 250 microns long.
Castle Minerals, decades long exploration under its Wa Gold Project, has since won for the region in international gold exploration industry circles the accolade, “The Emerging North Western Gold Province” and a possible commercial graphite deposits find and eventual production could further beef up its minerals deposit profile.
