London-listed Blencowe Resources has completed a crucial step in commercial-scale testing by converting 600 t of in situ raw material into 30 t of graphite concentrate.

The bulk sample conversion was undertaken by graphite processing company Jilin New Technology Graphite, with results indicating promising qualities of graphite produced at the Orom-Cross project, in Uganda.

The 600 t of raw material shipped to China several months ago have now been successfully upgraded to 30 t of 96% concentrate. Testing indicates that the Orom-Cross concentrate delivered in this sample size maintains the same high quality as previous smaller scale tests.

Blencowe now has a substantial quantity of both large and small flake concentrate products to apply further testing for potential offtakers. Spheronised purified graphite (SPG) producer Qingdao Taida Carbon will beneficiate 20 t of small flake concentrate into 10 t of 99.95% uncoated SPG over the next month as the final step in the qualification process.

The bulk sample testing and qualification process is proceeding as planned, with the end goal being offtake agreements with several tier-one partners. The completion of this stage of the testwork is a milestone for another tranche of development finance corporation (DFC) grant funding to be released shortly.

Jilin, which successfully completed a 100 t bulk sample for Blencowe in 2023, has now completed a 600 t bulk sample to concentrates. About 30 t of concentrate has been produced, representing a substantial sample size for the company to use for ongoing trials at various offtakers, for both large and small flake products.

Test results indicate a very high quality 96% concentrate for small flake products and 96% to 97% concentrate for large flake products (+100 mesh, +80 mesh and +50 mesh). The concentrate mix is 55% small flakes and 45% large flakes.

Jilin has already highlighted its support for the larger flake Orom-Cross concentrate product by signing a memorandum of understanding for 15 000 t/y, which was announced to the market in May.

Work has now begun at Qingdao Taida Carbon to deliver 10 t of high-quality uncoated SPG product from the small flake concentrate. This has been successfully completed previously through smaller scale testing, but this will be the first commercial-scale delivery of SPG from Orom-Cross to provide necessary samples for high-profile tier-one offtakers to test in their own facilities.

Once the original equipment manufacturer testing is completed by the end of the June quarter, Orom-Cross will effectively be qualified and have the ability to move to offtake agreements for all end products used in batteries.

Taida has been producing uncoated SPG for over two decades and has one of the most advanced facilities in China. Having Taida expertise manage Orom-Cross concentrate through to SPG is a key advantage, Blencowe said.

Blencowe is developing a broader graphite strategy to incorporate downstream processing in Uganda to deliver 99.95% SPG made in-country and will be looking to include leading experts such as Taida within that strategy.

This proposed facility would be the first commercial-scale SPG operation outside of China and Blencowe would produce a valuable downstream product that other graphite mining peers cannot easily replicate. The company will continue to provide updates as this strategy evolves.

The process to complete all necessary metallurgical testwork, including bulk sample testing, is a prerequisite for all graphite miners that want to sell their end products into battery markets. End-users are particularly discerning and will not consider offtake agreements until this work is adequately completed and qualification is attained.

Blencowe has been guided through this process by parties who have successfully completed this qualification previously and using experts who understand the nuances of all the products and how to get the best out of what Orom-Cross has to offer.

The end target is offtake agreements for 100% of the products that Blencowe will mine and process from Orom-Cross and to achieve the highest quality that builds strong tier-one relationships and delivers the highest prices. The company is moving swiftly towards qualification and with that the potential for offtake partnerships with some of the leading brand names in this business.

The completion of the conversion of raw material into concentrate represents one of the milestones to allow for further DFC grant funds to be released shortly.

"We have highlighted this bulk sample test requirement as a key component of the definitive feasibility study, and we have undergone this process using some of the most experienced graphite producers in the world. In doing so, we have opened some interesting doors for additional value-add strategy.

“We will continue to press forward to get to our goal of having tier one offtake agreements in place as soon as possible for all of our end products, which will underline the unique status of Blencowe Resources as a standout graphite producer for the future," executive chairperson Cameron Pearce said.