Prime
Makinikia and economic liberation: The untold story– 15
Last week, we narrated the presence of gold and silver mineral contents in the makinikia. This week, we will discuss the amount of copper and the other eight elements/minerals found by the committee.
The eight minerals that were termed “strategic minerals” were never reported by either the TMAA or the ACACIA Company.
The concentrates contained 298 kilogrammes per tonne of copper mineral, compared to 150 kilogrammes per tonne as reported by TMAA and ACACIA.
Again, it was extrapolated that the 277 containers contained 1,655.9 tonnes of copper valued at Sh20.6 billion, compared to the reported 1,108 tonnes with a value of Sh13.0 billion, as was reported by TMAA and ACACIA, indicating that 547.9 tonnes of copper valued at Sh7.6 billion were not reported.
The eight minerals allegedly found in the concentrates included sulphur, iron, iridium, rhodium, ytterbium, beryllium, tantalum, and lithium.
The report stated that sulphur had a grade of 450 kilogrammes per tonne, which is equal to 45% by weight; iron had a grade of 262.5 kilogrammes in every tonne, which is equal to 26.25% by weight; iridium had between 0.03 and 0.07%.
Rhodium had between 0.0002 and 0.004%; ytterbium had between 0.02 and 0.03%; beryllium had between 0.09 and 0.15%; tantalum had between 0.05 and 0.08%; and lithium had between 0.11 and 0.15%.
It is important to underscore that in economic geology, the cut-off grades of ores (mined rock that is not yet concentrated) and concentrates must be reached to merit economic metal extraction.
A cut-off grade is the minimum grade required in order for a mineral or metal to be economically extracted from a rock.
Rocks found with mineral or metal content above this grade are considered to be ore, while rocks with metal content below this grade are considered to be waste, as will be discussed hereunder.
Sulphur deposits of economic value are usually native sulphur deposits mined from volcanic origins with cut-off grades of over 80% Sulphur. Other sources of sulphur are pyrite deposits with a cut-off grade of over 85% Sulphur.
A concentrate of 39% sulphur grade reported by the special Committee is very low for economic extraction.
Also, iron ore deposits of economic value are usually iron oxide minerals like magnetite and hematite (not sulphides found in the Bulyanhulu and Buzwagi mines) with cut-off grades of 40% iron. Iron sulphide ores or concentrates of 27% iron in a concentrate are very uneconomical for extraction.
Recommending that iron and sulphur were unreported and that it was a game plan to loot the nation is incomprehensible.
Iridium and Rhodium in gold-copper sulphide ore deposits in the Greenstone geology like that of the Buzwagi and Bulyanhulu mines may contain cut-off grades of 0.1% and greater.
A grade of 0.03–0.07% iridium and 0.0002–0.004% rhodium in a concentrate is very uneconomical for mining, and recommending that the miner’s intention of not reporting the iridium and rhodium mineral contents was equivalent to an intent of fraud is debatable.
Ytterbium and Tantalum are minerals that occur in economic concentrations in carbonatite rocks, with cut-off grades of over 0.1% Ytterbium and 0.1% Tantalum.
No ytterbium or tantalum metal of economic value has been reported in gold-copper sulphide deposits in greenstone belts like the Bulyanhulu and Buzwagi deposits.
Even if, by a miracle of geo-science economics, Ytterbium or Tantalum is found in sulphides, the grades of 0.019–0.025% Ytterbium and 0.059–0.08% Tantalum, as reported by the committee in the concentrate, are too low for mining and smelting the resource, and again, the claim of foul play on the part of investors is unfounded.
Next week, we will conclude the expert’s view on the reported valuable strategic minerals contained in the concentrates.
Therefore, stay tuned for the next few narratives as we complete exploring the mineral contents found in the concentrates.
Dr Kafumu is an Independent Consultant (Former Commissioner for Minerals and Former Member of Parliament)
