Base Metals
The Radio Hill nickel mine was originally developed by the Italian oil and gas company Agip but failed due to metallurgical problems related to highly reactive pyrrhotite in the ore which made it very difficult to treat. It was later acquired and successfully restated by Titan Resources NL. The tall tank like structure just left of centre is a backfill plant. The thinner column at the centre is a rougher flotation column. The column was used to aerate the pulp rather than float a concentrate which went a long way toward solving the pyrrhotite problem
Pacific Ore Ltd is an Australian company formed to develop the BioHeap Leaching technology for treating lower grade nickel sulphide ores. This technology was eventually sold to Western Areas who use it at the Cosmic Boy operation in WA.
Heap leaching for nickel laterite ores originated at the University of Athens and later developed further at laboratories in both Canada and UK. A demonstration plant was built in Turkey at the site of the Caldag Ni project.
Cathode produced from a BioHeap leach using EMEW cells
A New Dense Media Separation plant at Munali Nickel Mine in Zambia. After being mothballed for 5 years it is now in the hands of Consolidated Nickel Mines.
Sonic Drilling on a beach in Chile
Bug farm at Huogeqi, Inner Mongolia producing bacteria for inoculating a primary copper BioHeap
Cathodes produced at Central Asia Metals plc's Kounrad dump leach pilot plant
Kitwe Tailings Dams