The State Commission of Ukraine for Mineral Reserves approved the reserves for the deposit in the following quantities:
– Ores – 359 714.25 thousand tons (operational reserves of 323.8 tons);
– ТіО2 -19 723.894 thousand tons;
– Р2О5 – 396.68 thousand tons;
– Feldspar raw materials 192 703.75 thousand tons.
Reserves of the Nosachev deposit of categories B, C1 and C2 correspond to “Indicated” and “Inferred” reserves, according to the JORC classification. According to the results of the audit of reserves by the Australian company Micromine, which confirmed the reliability of the mineral reserves, the total tonnage of the deposit’s reserves increased by 15% and was calculated according to the international JORC classification (B + C1 + C2, reserves + resources):
— Ore – 961 million tons
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ТiО2 – 52 million tons
— Р2О5 – 11 million tons
— feldspar concentrate – 420 million tons
- At the Nosachev mining and processing plant, it is planned to produce annually up to 900 thousand tons of ilmenite concentrate (raw materials for the titanium industry) with an annual ore mining capacity of 4 million tons and mining, first of all, blocks of rich ores (54.2 million tons) with an average content of TiO2 – 14.3% for 14 years, in order to recoup the capital costs in the shortest possible time. In addition, it is planned to annually produce up to 85 thousand tons of apatite concentrate (raw materials for the production of mineral fertilizers) and feldspar concentrate up to 1810 thousand tons (raw materials for the production of all types of sheet glass, glass containers, products made of vacuum and heat-resistant glass).
- Mass fraction in products (%):
— TiO2 in ilmenite concentrate – 50.15
— Р2О5 in apatite concentrate – 39.65. - Provision with reserves (min) – 80 years
- Depth of mining – 500 m
- Index of TiO2 recovery from the original ore to ilmenite concentrate - 80-82%
- Table 1 shows the results of chemical analysis of the original ore based on technological samples from the Nosachev deposit. It should be noted that group samples were taken for technological samples, which characterized the entire deposit. Within the first stage of mining, blocks of rich ores (54.2 million tons) with an average TiO2 content of 14.3% are observed.
- Table 2 shows the results of analyzes by Kemira Pigments Oyl (Finland) on the quality of the ilmenite concentrate from the Nosachev deposit, obtained during pilot tests of the Swedish company Metso Minerals. The same table shows the maximum concentrations allowed for ilmenite concentrates suitable for the production of high-quality pigment, according to the European Union.
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The Company, in the process of preliminary exploration of the deposit, identified the area of priority industrial development and carried out its detailed exploration and geological study. Based on the results of detailed exploration of the block of the first stage of industrial development, the volume of explored reserves for industrial categories B + C1 was determined in the amount of 77 943.98 thousand tons, which can be used for the design of a mining enterprise (paragraphs 2.16 and 3.3.1 of the Protocol of meeting of the State Commission of Ukraine on Mineral Reserves No. 1107 dated 13.04.2006).
It should be noted that the number of reserves is 77 943.98 thousand tons, characterizes the block of the first stage of industrial development, as an independent medium deposit of this type.
The State Commission of Ukraine on Mineral Reserves positively assesses the feasibility of combining the final stages of exploration and experimental-industrial development of the deposit with the initial stages of its industrial development (clause 2.16 of the SRC Protocol No. 1107 dated 13.04.2006) and, accordingly, the implementation of the recommendations of the State Commission of Ukraine on Mineral Reserves specified in the SRC Protocol No. 1107.
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The Company, for the period from 2007 to 2011, after the approval of reserves and the acquisition of a special permit for the extraction of minerals, conducted a number of studies (pre-design studies) in order to solve technical, technological and other issues necessary for the design of the Nosachev mining and processing plant based on deposit and the study of more efficient methods of deposit development using modern technology and equipment, which can significantly improve the technical and economic performance of the deposit.
As a result of the research, the Kazakhstan head institute for the design of non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises “Kazgiprotsvetmet” developed proposals for opening and developing the deposit using self-propelled equipment, transport slope and delivery of ore to the surface by trolley cars of the “Kiruna” type (Sweden).
By order of the Company, in 2009, the Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute of Glass conducted a comprehensive scientific study of samples of enriched production waste (“wet tailings”) from the Nosachev deposit for their use as aluminum-containing raw materials in the glass industry. According to the conclusion of the Institute, the enriched “wet tailings” of the plagioclase product of apatite and ilmenite ores of the Nosachev deposit (feldspar concentrate) can be used as an aluminum-containing raw material for the production of all types of sheet glass, glass containers, products made of vacuum and heat-resistant glass. Enriched production wastes refer to alumina-containing raw materials of grade ПШС-0.20-16 according to GOST 13451-77 “Feldspar and quartz-feldspar materials for the glass industry”.
The option of transporting ore to the surface with the vertical conveyor system POCKETROPE (a new development of Metso Minerals, Sweden), in contrast to the traditional method – skip lifting is considered. The cyclic (portioned) transportation system using skip lifting and subsequent removal by heavy-duty dump trucks, in comparison with the continuous conveyor system POCKETROPE, shows significant technical and economic advantages of the conveyor system.
Mining equipment and machinery to be used shall be mainly produced by the Swedish company Atlas Copco and the Finnish Sandvik Tamrok, which are one of the world’s leading manufacturers of mining equipment and machinery.
