Tsodilo says DMS plant delivering results

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – TSX-V-listed Tsodilo Resources has processed 724.7 t through the dense media separation (DMS) plant at its BK16 kimberlite project in Botswana, since commissioning the plant on January 18.

This represented 141 samples out of a total of 243, or 6%, of the tonnage. These 141 samples have generated 2 778.6 kg of concentrate, translating to a DMS yield of 0.38%.

It is projected that the treatment of the large diameter drill (LDD) samples through the DMS plant will be completed in the first week of April. The treatment of the tailings material at BK16 would then resume.

The second consignment of 71 drums of concentrate has been securely moved to the company's final recovery area at its secure complex in Maun.

Meanwhile, the company has also set up its Polus-M X-ray sorter to treat dry DMS concentrate in the size range of -8 mm to +3 mm and -3 mm to +1 mm.

To date, the Polus-M sorter has treated 32 LDD samples and produced cumulatively 7 kg of concentrate in 1 mm to 3 mm size range and 600 g of the 3 mm to 8 mm size material. The material in the 8 mm to 12 mm size range for these 32 LDD samples has a combined weight of 43.6 kg.

The X-ray sorted concentrates will be hand sorted in Maun at the company's secure sorting facility by a third-party sorter starting on March 19. The -12 mm to 8 mm material will also be hand-sorted in Maun.

The recovered diamonds will be transported to the Diamond Technology Park, in Gaborone, Botswana, for acid cleaning and valuation. The company is exploring avenues to obtain the use of a larger BV machine to treat the plus 8 mm fraction.

The sorter operation concept was based on the use of diamonds' property of luminescence under X-ray impact and on the difference of those properties with diamonds and associate luminescent minerals.