Tando Resources (ASX: TNO) has announced outstanding results from large scale, plant simulation testwork at its SPD Vanadium Project in South Africa.
The company reported that the metallurgical testwork produced concentrate grading 2.2% V2O5. This is claimed to be among the highest reported concentrate grades globally. Tando said that it is planning for early production using near-surface high-grade zones at SPD.
The company announced that the Scoping Study on this near-term, low CAPEX Phase 1 Production Project is nearing completion. Tando also reported that offtake discussions are presently underway with a number of interested parties.
SPD Vanadium Project
The SPD Vanadium Project is a large, high grade magnetite hosted vanadium deposit with an Inferred JORC Mineral Resource of 588 million tonnes at 0.78% V2O5. This is one of the world’s highest grade vanadium deposits on a whole rock and grade in concentrate basis.
The Vanadium mineralisation at the SPD Project is located close to the contact between the Upper Zone and Main Zone of the Bushveld Igneous Complex and adjacent to the Steelpoort Fault. Mineralisation is hosted in magnetite-bearing zones which dip shallowly to the west.
Positive Results From Plant Simulation Testwork
The company said that a bulk sample of whole HQ core from VDD024 grading 0.98% V2O5 was used for a “cradle to grave” test of the proposed process flowsheet for the SPD Project.
TNO said that the concentrate grading 2.2% V2O5 was returned from bulk samples processed via a flowsheet simulating the proposed process route, producing a high quality product based to the high vanadium and low silica/alumina contents.
Tando reported that the analysis of two samples taken of the concentrate produced at the end of the process essentially indicates that the entire vanadium content of the SPD Project falls within the magnetic concentrate. TNO said that the testwork results also provide confirmation that whole rock assay results reported by the Company are representative of the recoverable vanadium content across the project.
The company also noted that these results compare well with previous, laboratory-scale, Davis Tube results.
Production Plan Strategy
The company noted that the exceptional metallurgical plant testwork confirms world class characteristics of SPD Vanadium Project and endorses Tando’s production strategy.
The company said that it plans to establish a low-cost operation generating early cashflow based on these results and the shallow, high-grade nature of the vanadium mineralization. The strategy capitalises on the shallow, high-grade, low-cost nature of the SPD Vanadium deposit and the simple magnetic separation process.
Scoping Study And Future Plans
The company said that the viability of the near term Phase 1 Production Project will be confirmed in the forthcoming Scoping Study.
This scoping study is currently nearing completion and is waiting for the completion of an updated Mineral Resource which due around mid-May, and refinement of mining studies based on that Resource. The CAPEX and OPEX for the beneficiation plant have been costed in detail.
The company also reported that offtake discussions are currently underway with a number of interested parties.
