Centaurus Metals Limited has announced that it produced the first batch of nickel sulphate from its flagship Jaguar Nickel Project as part of the final phase of work undertaken at the Jaguar Pilot Plant test work program.
According to Centaurus, the pilot program has been developed to provide detailed chemistry and process engineering data for the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) and future front-end engineering design requirements and to ensure a high-quality nickel product is achieved for marketing and strategic off-take discussions.
The test work program has been successful in meeting the pre-test work goals and delivering a robust data package that will be used in the DFS refinery process design, which is currently underway with the company’s engineering partner, Ausenco.
The scope of the refinery piloting was split into different phases of work, namely the first phase, which focused on concentrate feed preparation, pressure leaching, and copper solvent extraction, and the second phase, which focused on calcium and zinc removal via solvent extraction.
The third phase of the program involved cobalt and nickel solvent extraction circuits, while the fourth phase involved nickel sulphate crystallisation plus zinc and cobalt hydroxide precipitate production.
Centaurus is now looking to issue its final assay results soon to confirm that the Jaguar nickel sulphate product specification sits comfortably within the target range.
In addition to nickel sulphate production, the company has been able to successfully produce zinc hydroxide and cobalt hydroxide by-products, the final specifications of which will be delivered in the coming weeks.
Centaurus Managing Director Darren Gordon said the completion of the program marked a pivotal step in the development of the Jaguar project as a green nickel sulphide project that can deliver battery-grade products to the fast-growing electric vehicle market.
“The successful delivery of a high-quality nickel sulphate product is a huge milestone for the Company and the Jaguar Project, and I would like to thank the technical team for their hard work in achieving this fantastic result. This shows that Jaguar is ready to produce a product that is perfectly tailored for the new wave of nickel demand over the coming decade and beyond. The high-quality data from this program also feeds into the ongoing DFS and will allow us to complete the critical process flowsheet design work required to finalise the refinery plant design,” Gordon added.
