Bushveld Reports Positive Results from Modeling at South African Project

Bushveld Minerals Ltd. (LSE:BMN) provided an update on pyrometallurgical testwork at its South Africa-based Bushveld vanadium and P-Q deposits.

As quoted in the press release:

The Company is conducting a pyro-metallurgical testwork programme for the beneficiation of the Main Magnetite MML layer (or ‘MML’), as part of the Scoping Study for the Bushveld Vanadium Project. The test work will evaluate two alternative proven processing routes: a) the salt roast process to produce vanadium pentoxide flakes and/or ferrovanadium and b) the smelting process to produce pig iron or steel and high-grade vanadium slag.

Recently, the company completed modeling of the smelting beneficiation route. Results include:

• The favourable vanadium grade of MML concentrate supports production of a premium-grade vanadium slag (approximately 25% V₂O₅) following pig iron production and vanadium extraction;
• Approximately 370kg of pig iron and 35kg of high-grade vanadium slag (25% V₂O₅) can be obtained from every tonne of MML concentrate processed (excluding handling losses); and
• Pre-reduction of MML ore to proven levels of metallization (60%) and hot-charging the pre-reduced ore to the furnaces can reduce electricity consumption by approximately 70%, which offers significant cost-saving implications for the Project.

Click here to read the full Bushveld Minerals Ltd. (LSE:BMN) press release.