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The Company has three main projects: a PGE project in Montana's Stillwater District; a copper project in California's historic Moonlight Copper Mining District; and a nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE project in Ferguson Lake, Nunavut.
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Starfield Resources Looks Forward To Reaping The Rewards of Its Innovation
By Christian Gradley
http://www.minesite.com/index.php?id... .
Some months back, ten of the most experienced minds in mine site construction were sitting around Starfield Resources’ boardroom table for what chief executive André Douchane called “a true brainstorming session.” The aim was to make the company’s Ferguson Lake Project up in the north east of Canada more efficient, more profitable and more environmentally sound. After more than four hours, and enough coffee to power the NYSE trading floor for a week, the three hundred and fifty years of combined experience sitting at the table had mapped out a brilliant plan that allows for recovery rates of 97 per cent for nickel, 97 per cent for copper and 89 per cent for cobalt.
Predominantly to thank for these amazing recovery rates is the proprietary hydrometallurgical treatment process developed by Dr Bryn Harris and Carl White of NeoFerric Technologies Inc. The production process for Ferguson Lake will begin with the ore being crushed, ground, then slurried in water through a 285 kilometre pipeline from the minesite to the proposed processing site near Rankin Inlet. Once dewatered, the ore will be leached in a chlorine solution and then processed by ion exchange and other circuitry.
While the process is beyond a layman’s understanding, Mr. Douchane said that “the beauty of the process is that besides producing nickel, copper and cobalt, Starfield will also produce 94 per cent sulphuric acid – a resource presently saleable at US$80 per tonne.” Another byproduct of the process will be hydrogen sulphide which the plant will then burn to create steam-generated electricity. The amount of electricity generated from the plant will be more than enough to power the mine, mill, and processing plant. There could even be some electricity left over to sell back to Nunavut grid. Given the recent price of fuel, this in-house electricity will save the company untold millions. What’s also exiting about the process, Mr. Douchane said, was that it does not generate any acid drainage or toxic tailings.
Starfield’s planned schedule will entail a three phase operation. Beginning with an open pit, the project will process 3,000 tonnes per day. Phase two will see the exhaustion of the open pit, and the beginnings of an underground mining operation, accessed by a ramp, in West Extension. At this time the mine will be processing up to 6,000 tonnes per day, 2,100,000 tonnes per year, which will yield annually around 27.5 million pounds of nickel, 43.6 million pounds of copper and 2.9 million pounds of cobalt. Phase three will be reached in the project’s third year of production and will feature a ramp operation in West Extension at 2,700 tonnes per day, as well as a shaft operation in Main West Zone at 3,300 tonnes per day.
All of this planning is aimed towards extracting Ferguson Lake’s 15.3 million tonnes of ore grading 0.71 per cent nickel, 1.04 per cent copper, 0.08 per cent cobalt in the indicated category, and 19.4 million tonnes of ore grading 0.68 per cent nickel, 1.13 per cent copper and 0.08 per cent cobalt in the inferred category. While already a viable project with a projected mine life of 17 years, the company will embark this summer on an aggressive drill programme to expand the project’s platinum group elements potential. Although the original plan was to drill 15,000 metres, the company is now confident that it can drill closer to 20,000 metres – at 1,000 metres per week. While the majority of this drilling will be in the PGE zone as well as West Zone, the company will also embark on a grassroots surface exploration programme. With approximately C$1 million dollars to spend, Starfield will examine the kimberlite and gold potential of other sites on its massive 521,149.57 hectare Ferguson Lake Project property.
At present, Starfield is moving forward to a decision deadline of spring 2010. By that time, the company expects to have doubled its resource at Ferguson Lake. Well financed and well managed, the company is certainly making its goals attainable. Now, all it has to do is make sure nickel prices cooperate.
By Christian Gradley
http://www.minesite.com/index.php?id... .
Some months back, ten of the most experienced minds in mine site construction were sitting around Starfield Resources’ boardroom table for what chief executive André Douchane called “a true brainstorming session.” The aim was to make the company’s Ferguson Lake Project up in the north east of Canada more efficient, more profitable and more environmentally sound. After more than four hours, and enough coffee to power the NYSE trading floor for a week, the three hundred and fifty years of combined experience sitting at the table had mapped out a brilliant plan that allows for recovery rates of 97 per cent for nickel, 97 per cent for copper and 89 per cent for cobalt.
Predominantly to thank for these amazing recovery rates is the proprietary hydrometallurgical treatment process developed by Dr Bryn Harris and Carl White of NeoFerric Technologies Inc. The production process for Ferguson Lake will begin with the ore being crushed, ground, then slurried in water through a 285 kilometre pipeline from the minesite to the proposed processing site near Rankin Inlet. Once dewatered, the ore will be leached in a chlorine solution and then processed by ion exchange and other circuitry.
While the process is beyond a layman’s understanding, Mr. Douchane said that “the beauty of the process is that besides producing nickel, copper and cobalt, Starfield will also produce 94 per cent sulphuric acid – a resource presently saleable at US$80 per tonne.” Another byproduct of the process will be hydrogen sulphide which the plant will then burn to create steam-generated electricity. The amount of electricity generated from the plant will be more than enough to power the mine, mill, and processing plant. There could even be some electricity left over to sell back to Nunavut grid. Given the recent price of fuel, this in-house electricity will save the company untold millions. What’s also exiting about the process, Mr. Douchane said, was that it does not generate any acid drainage or toxic tailings.
Starfield’s planned schedule will entail a three phase operation. Beginning with an open pit, the project will process 3,000 tonnes per day. Phase two will see the exhaustion of the open pit, and the beginnings of an underground mining operation, accessed by a ramp, in West Extension. At this time the mine will be processing up to 6,000 tonnes per day, 2,100,000 tonnes per year, which will yield annually around 27.5 million pounds of nickel, 43.6 million pounds of copper and 2.9 million pounds of cobalt. Phase three will be reached in the project’s third year of production and will feature a ramp operation in West Extension at 2,700 tonnes per day, as well as a shaft operation in Main West Zone at 3,300 tonnes per day.
All of this planning is aimed towards extracting Ferguson Lake’s 15.3 million tonnes of ore grading 0.71 per cent nickel, 1.04 per cent copper, 0.08 per cent cobalt in the indicated category, and 19.4 million tonnes of ore grading 0.68 per cent nickel, 1.13 per cent copper and 0.08 per cent cobalt in the inferred category. While already a viable project with a projected mine life of 17 years, the company will embark this summer on an aggressive drill programme to expand the project’s platinum group elements potential. Although the original plan was to drill 15,000 metres, the company is now confident that it can drill closer to 20,000 metres – at 1,000 metres per week. While the majority of this drilling will be in the PGE zone as well as West Zone, the company will also embark on a grassroots surface exploration programme. With approximately C$1 million dollars to spend, Starfield will examine the kimberlite and gold potential of other sites on its massive 521,149.57 hectare Ferguson Lake Project property.
At present, Starfield is moving forward to a decision deadline of spring 2010. By that time, the company expects to have doubled its resource at Ferguson Lake. Well financed and well managed, the company is certainly making its goals attainable. Now, all it has to do is make sure nickel prices cooperate.
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