Transcript Potential contibution of Lithium and Tantalite to Economic

ZIMASSET ECONOMIC BLUEPRINT
AWARENESS SEMINAR (12-13
MARCH 2014)
Potential Contribution of Lithium
and Tantalite to Economic
Development
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LITHIUM
• Currently being mined at Bikita Minerals in the
district of Masvingo.
• Main mineral is petalite (lithium aluminium
tectosilicate [LiAl(Si2O5)2].
• Ore currently undergoes beneficiation at
Bikita Minerals as follows:
Primary, secondary and tertiary crushing.
Dense medium separation.
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Lithium contd
Drying and bagging.
• Main products exported are :
Low alkali petalite
Gravel petalite
Vitroflux
Pollucite
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Lithium Contd
• Local Markets
• Zimglass (Pvt) Ltd – glassmaking
• Willsgrove Pottery (Pvt) Ltd – tiles, cups, sinks
and other ceramic products
• Regional and International Markets
• South Africa, Japan, Malaysia and The
Netherlands.
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Lithium contd
• General Uses
 Lithium-ion batteries used to power :
 Cell phones
 Laptops
 Computers
 Cars (Hybrid and Electric)
 Electric bicycles
 Glass-making
 Ceramic products : tiles, cups, sinks bath tubs
etc.
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Lithium contd
• Exports and Revenue : 2013 Overview
 Quantity exported : 40 933,32t
 Revenue realised : US$7 609 703,32
 Average price : $180/t
• Potential Contribution of Lithium
 Used to make lithium-ion batteries to power cell
phones, laptops, computers, hybrid and electric cars
and electric bicycles.
 Technology : Not in Zimbabwe but very feasible to
produce the Lithium Carbonate [Li2CO3] powder used
to make the batteries
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Lithium contd
 Set up a processing plant in Bulawayo
 Get the raw materials from
 Coal - Hwange
 Lithium – Tin dumps from Kamativi
 Other raw materials(soda ash from Botswana)
 Acid from Zimphos
 Export the product to China for the production of
lithium-ion batteries
 Repeat for other lithium deposits
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TANTALITE
DEPOSIT
• Tantalum metal (Ta) is a base metal.
• Occurs almost always with Niobite and
Columbite.
• Dominant host rock for mineable primary
columbite –tantalite deposits, are the granitic
rare-metal pegmatites.
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General Characteristics-Tantulum
• Tantalum is a metallic element extracted (or
refined ) from primary and alluvial tantalum
mineral deposits.
• It is hard, blue-grey metal with a very high
melting point , (approximately 30000C).
• The most important tantulum-niobium
mineral is tantalite,(Fe,Mn)Ta2O6.
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Occurence
• In Zimbabwe, main tantalum ore deposits are in
the following areas :
 Bikita
 Kamativi
 Mberengewa
 Mutoko
 Bepe Hills – Odzi
 Karoi
 Bindura
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World Consumption 2009(Estimated)
• 1 015t Ta –Primary raw material including
tantalite,columbite,struverite,tin
slag,synthetic concentrates.
• 669t Ta-secondary materials
(Ta2O5,K2TaF7,scrap)
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Production-Stages
• Mining-Open pit ,artisanal and small scale
mining
• Tantalite mining and the tin-tantalum slag
refinery concentrate processors (export
to) primary tantalum manufacturers for the
processing of tantalum ingots of metallurgical
and capacitor grade tantalum distributors
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Application
• Mainly used to produce ;
More than 70% is consumed by electronics
industry-mostly capacitors for laptops , cell
phones and computers
Explosives
Super alloys and cemented carbides
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Price Development
• Price in contained tantalum per kilogram
(Sources:USGS 2009);
• 1990- $90/kg
• 1995- $85/kg
• 2000-$ 600/kg
• 2001-$1 000/kg
• 2005-$100/kg
• 2010-$100/kg
• *Tantalum Powder ($11 000/kg approx)
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Economic Contribution
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Exports and Revenue : 2013 Overview (Source : MMCZ)
Quantity exported : 20.1t
Revenue realised : US$2 813 901,62
Average price : $140/t
Potential Contribution of Tantalum
Employment creation (Resuscitation of Kamativi Tin mine and mine
expansion at Sandawana Mine in Mberengwa and creation of
service centres on other small deposits)
• New investment in value-addition (production of lithium carbonate
and in the long-term –production of lithium batteries)
• Increased revenue streams from export of value-added products)
• Possible consolidation of tantalum outputs from different countries
(DRC, Mozambique, Zambia and Namibia) to a conviniently-located
processing facility
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