Debswana to Produce 18 Million Carats from Tailings

Mining Weekly reported that the modular tailings treatment project being built at Debswana Diamond Company Ltd.’s Botswana-based Jwaneng diamond mine is expected to yield 18 million carats over the course of two decades. The facility will begin initial commissioning in the next several months.

As quoted in the market news:

This will add 900 000 ct/y to Jwaneng’s current output of 13-million to 15-million carats a year, which contribute a disproportionate 70% of Debswana’s total earnings because of their high value.

“We see this as a new frontier for marginal resources going forward,” [Ben] Baeletse[, group manager of process engineering,] said, adding that the concept had been tried at other sites in the past.

Click here to read the full Mining Weekly report.