Transcript Slide 1

Breakthrough
Breakthrough
Mining
Mining Technology
Technology
Low-Grade Ore
Use Enabled
Cost Effective Recovery From
Sulfide Heaps & Low-Grade PLS
September 2012
© 2012 Blue Planet Strategies
Goal
Unlocking Low-Grade Chalcopyrite’s Vast Potential
Revolutionary Solution to a Persitant Problem
• Our new process can allow existing facilities to now produce with this ore
• Plug-in solution is compatible with existing processes
• Immediate benefits: Increases asset values & rapid new production
Huge Economic Potential
• Can unlock 1/3 of world’s copper ore which can’t be processed currently.
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DEMET Benefits
DEMET Unlocks New Value from Wastes
New Production from Low-Grade PLS
• Empower new production at 45% GM from existing copper mines
• Expand useful ore reserves & extend viable mine life
• Permit copper recovery from old tailings & heap washdowns
Leverage Existing Infrastructure
• Maintain full legacy leach infrastructure use & prolong heap economic viability
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Implications
Profitable New Metal Recovery Increases Revenues
Ore asset value increased and useful mine life extended
New Revenue Generation
• Utilize sub-economic ores and enable more production
• Improve Market Cap
• Recycle old waste ore and drain down effluent into production
Cost Reductions
• Push back mine closure
• Defer brownfield maintenance mode and/or shutdown costs
• Avoid typical greenfield or expansion permitting challenges
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Value
Significantly Increased Production Enabled
Dramatically leverages existing assets/facilities
DEMET™ Augmented New Production
10,000 GPM @ 0.1 g/L
Normal Heap Leach Operation
Low-Grade Sulfide
Ore Heaps
Produced
at <
~ $2/lb
$3/lb
10,000 GPM @ 0.5 g/L
10,000 GPM
Low-grade PLS
0.1 g/L
SX/EW
50,000 GPM @0.5 g/L
Low-Grade
Ore
Heap
Raffinate
10,000 GPM
0.5 g/L
Raffinate
50,000 GPM
@ 0.1 g/L
DEMET™
Treatment
PLS
10,000 GPM @ 2.0 g/L
DEMET CAPEX: $74M to $105M
Avg. Copper Price = $3.25/lb
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SX/EW
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79,000,000
17,000,000 lbs/yr
lbs/yr
Gross:
Gross:
Est.
Est. Net:
Net:
Cost
Assumptions:
Next Slide
$257M/yr
$55M/yr
~
< $100M/yr
$ 5M/yr
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Cost Calculation
Assumptions and Implications
DEMET PLS Treatment Calculations
XXX
XXX
Adjustable Quantitities
Auto Calculated Quantities
See included Excel File: PLS Calculation
Calculations
Assumptions
DEMET
Augmented
New Production
DEMET
Augmented
New Production
Normal
Heap Leach
Operation
Financials
Operation Parameters
D E M ET
PLS Flow [D E M ET Input] (GPM)
PLS Tenor [D E M ET Input] (g/L)
D E M ET Product Output Flow (GPM)
Product Output tenor [ D E M ET Mass Balance)] (g/L)
D E M ET Residual (Raffinate) Flow (GPM)
D E M ET Residual (Raffinate) tenor (g/L)
50,000
0.50
10,000
2.0
50,000
0.10
SX/EW Input Flow (GPM)
SX/EW Input Tenor [from DEMET Product] (g/L)
SX/EW output Tenor (g/L)
10,000
2.0
0.2
10,000
0.50
N/a
N/a
N/a
N/a
10,000
0.50
0.2
100%
100%
$
$
$
$
$
$
1.00
1.00
3.25
7,000,000
10,000,000
0.60
N/a
$
$
N/a
N/a
N/a
Installation D E M ET CAPEX at Target Scale-bottom ($) $
Installation D E M ET CAPEX at Target Scale-Top ($) $
Annual Copper Production (lb/yr)
Annual Copper Gross Value ($/yr)
Annual Copper Gross Margin ($/yr)
Costs
Annual Operation Duty (%)
D E M ET Treatment Total Cost ($/lb)
Conventional Process (Mining to SX/EW) Total Cost ($/lb)
Average Copper Price ($/lb)
Base (1000 GPM) Module Installed Cost -- Range Bottom ($)
Base (1000 GPM) Module Installed Cost -- Range Top ($)
CAPEX Scaling Rate Factor (unitless)
Normal
Heap Leach
Operation
3.00 ←
3.25
Total Copper Incremental Production Cost ($/lb) $
Produced Copper Incremental Gross Margin ($/lb) $
Incremental Produced Copper Incremental Margin (%)
DEMET (simple) Payback Period - bottom (months)
DEMET (simple) Payback Period - top (months)
74,000,000
105,000,000
79,000,000
257,000,000
100,000,000
2.00
1.25
38%
21
31
N/a
N/a
13,000,000
42,000,000
3,000,000
$
$
3.00
0.25
8%
N/a
N/a
Used as best lower end estimate since no low-grade sulfide heap leach is not being widely done at commercial scale
Conversion Factors
Liters per US gallon (L/gal)
Minutes per year (min/yr)
grams per pound (g/lb)
3.7854
525,600
453.59
File: PLS Brochure V1 3 Calculation
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Application
DEMET Readily Integrates into Existing Processes
Enables legacy facilities to process new ores
DEMET™ Enabled
New Production
Current Practice
Raffinate
Low-Grade
Sulfide Ore
SX/EW
NONE
Raffinate
Copper
Leach Heap
Currently NOT economical
DEMET™
Treatment
Product
(strong PLS)
Produced
at ≤ $2/lb
Weak PLS
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Key Impact Areas
Traditional Processing Barriers are Shattered
and New Value Chains Activated
• Utilization of low-grade chalcopyrite, marginal ores, and old tailings
• Production of various leached metals by a number of leach chemistries
• Treatment of heap washdown effluent
• Metal recovery and re-acidification of heap leach raffinate
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Operation Integration
Modular DEMET Provides Flexible Deployment
DEMET can improve a variety of water processing operations
Generic mine water system with potential DEMET enhanced drainage treatment facilities
D-T
DEMET Treatment
Plant Positions
D-T
D-T
D-T
D-T
Adapted from: http://www.gardguide.com/index.php/Chapter_7
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Operation
We Cost-effectively Strengthen Weak PLS For Normal Use
INPUTS
Low-Grade Ore
Electricity
Water + H2SO4
Product Input
Weak PLS
(weak stream)
Metal
Removal
OUTPUTS
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Concentrate
Product
Barren PLS
(Raffinate)
Strong PLS
Return Back to Heap
SX/EW
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Implementation
Flexible Staging Reduces Risk & Ensures Best ROI
Bench
Verification
Operation
Lab Pilot
Commissioning
Pilot Process
Optimization
General
Module
Selection
(Intermediate
Scale)
Construction
Economic Validation
(Intermediate Scale)
Pilot Field
Validation
Scale Up
Site Specific
System Layout
(Full Scale)
Site Specific
Portable Testing
Pilot
Scoping
Evaluation
Adapted From: “Copper Leaching, Solvent Extraction, and Electrowinning Technology,” G. Jergensen II Ed.: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., Section I, p. 102 (1999).
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Project Timeline/Financials
Rapid Project Payback and Fast Implementation
Construct
Cost ($k)
10,000
1,000
Operational
Validate Module
Design
System
100
Shake
down
Develop
Spec
Typical CAPEX $74M-$105M
Typical Net Revenue $100M/yr
Scoping
Tests
Typical Payback
10
21-31 months
Full-Scale Project Initiation
0
0
3
6
9
12
15
18
Time (months)
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Solution Options
The DEMET system & business flexibility provide
various options to best meet specific site needs
The BPS solution provides long term ROI value while solving
critical environmental challenges
DEMET Deployment Options
•
•
Equipment
Moveable skid
mounted system
Fixed installation
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Operation
• Buy Equipment
• Rent Equipment
• Service Contracts
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Moving Forward
Every Day Waiting is More Value Lost
BPS is ready to help
•
Contact BPS about your ARD treatment/metal recovery challenges
•
Provide a sample of your waste stream and commission low-cost
scoping tests to verify DEMET performance for your waste
•
Arrange a pilot-scale field test to verify project economic feasibility and
consistent performance
•
Explore options with BPS for full-scale system module deployment to
validate full system economics and operation
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Contact
For More Information
Dr. Patrick James
President
6083344828
[email protected]
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