Africa-focused mining and development company Marula Mining says it has signed a number of agreements for the supply and delivery of manganese ores to its 80%-owned Kilifi processing plant, in Kenya.

The company has completed sampling and received assay results on high-grade manganese mineralisation that is to be supplied to the plant. 

In addition to this, the company and its metallurgical consultants have also been completing metallurgical testwork and plant optimisation studies ahead of the planned commencement of commercial operations and export sales this quarter.

The Kilifi plant is a fully permitted mineral processing plant capable of beneficiating about 10 000 t a month of manganese ores through a conventional manganese processing plant that includes a vibrating feeder, trommel scrubber, belt conveyor, jig separator, vibrating screen, pumps, fine jaw crusher, magnetic separator and run-of-mine and final manganese product stockpiling areas.

Marula says the metallurgical testwork and plant optimisation studies have been focused on achieving a higher-grade saleable manganese product through the Kilifi plant than was originally contemplated.

The decision to proceed with this work and the delay in the start of commercial operations to this current quarter, follow the high-grade assay results reported on August 24, 2024, from the lower sections of the manganese-rich deposits found in the surrounding Ganze region, which have an average grade of 61.95% manganese, and which have the potential to materially impact on the economic returns from the Kilifi plant.

“The company is pleased to confirm that the final phase of metallurgical testwork and plant optimisation studies has now been completed. The metallurgical testwork on three samples, has confirmed that the Kilifi plant is capable of producing a saleable product of up to 40% manganese,” says Marula.

“This manganese product is achieved without any major upgrades to the current Kilifi plant configuration and only involves slight modifications to the trommel scrubber, the vibrating screens and expansions to the final manganese product stockpiling areas,” it adds.

The company notes that assay results from the metallurgical testwork, received from both Kenya's State Department for Mining laboratory facilities in Nairobi and a further independent and internationally accredited laboratory in Kenya, have confirmed manganese grades of the saleable product of between 37% and 40%.

Final modifications to the Kilifi plant are now underway and this follows a recent site visit by the company's CEO and chairperson and other representatives of the company's executive and technical management team.

During this site visit, the company approved the proposed work programme, which is largely focused on minor modifications to the screen sizes of the trommel scrubber and vibrating screens.

An expansion to the final manganese product stockpiling areas is also to be completed to allow the company to achieve its targeted expanded rates of processing. The final modifications to the Kilifi plant are anticipated to be completed in the current quarter, with commissioning of the plant and first export sales to then follow.