[spacer height=”20px”]2017 – Development of the B3 Zone Gold Deposit
The development of the gold deposit at Balandougou began in earnest in 2017 with the construction of a 150 tonnes per day gravity mill.
View of mill site with loading ramp under construction (foreground) and primary crusher (centre)
Bulk Sample Program
During 2017 Stellar initiated a 15,000 tonnes bulk sample program to test the economics of processing surface oxide gold mineralization from the Solotomo B3 Zone of Stellar’s 100% owned 52 km2 Balandougou Project in Guinea.
A 72 kg composite sample sent to SGS Mineral Services for metallurgical testing returned an average grade of 3.5 g/t Au. The bulk sample program will test the suitability of the B3 oxide mineralization to gold extraction and recovery using gravity separation as the sole or primary method of gold recovery. Gravity separation is the most environmentally friendly gold extraction method because no environmentally deleterious chemicals are used in the gold extraction process. It is also the most economical solution for processing surface oxide gold deposits such as the B3 Zone at Balandougou.
During 2017 all of the essential preparations for the 15,000 tonnes bulk sample program including metallurgical testing, environmental and social impact studies, acquisition of the pilot plant, and surface stripping and site infrastructure were completed.
150 tonnes per day gravity separation plant
Stellar engaged XKJ Solution, a branch of Henan Xingyang Mining Machinery Manufactory of China, for the engineering design and fabrication of a 150 tonnes per day (“tpd”) pilot plant to process a 15,000 tons bulk sample. The plant equipment was built in China, was shipped to Guinea by sea and delivered to the mill site at Balandougou, Guinea in August.
150 tpd mill, view from loading platform
150 tpd mill, view from loading platform
The final design parameters and the fine tuning of the pilot plant were in compliance with the results of four-stage gravity test and recommendations from the SGS Mineral Services. The pilot plant was design with all required components including a primary and a fine jaw crushers and a ball mill that will discharge -0.2 mm size material into two Knelson Concentrators for optimal gold recovery.
Gravity mill, view from platform, upper vibrating feeder being installed
Surface infrastructure, site stripping and mill construction
Stellar engaged CITAG Bureau d’Ingénierie, a local Guinean engineering firm that specializes in mine construction, for the mine pit and plant site preparations, and to supervise surface stripping and infrastructure construction.
New access and service roads to both the mine and mill sites were built, and secondary trenching and sampling at the B3 Zone was completed. The mill location site was excavated, and concrete foundations and steel reinforced concrete slab were poured.
Ball Mill
Knelson Concentrators
A 1.5 million litres reservoir was built and two 100 metres deep water wells were drilled to alleviate any potential for water supply problems and completely eliminate any cost risk of having to transporting water from alternative sources. The initial flow tests for both wells are between 10-15,000 litres of water per hour, i.e. combined well steady flow rate, and the 1.5 million litre reservoir is being filled from the wells. When operating the mill will require up to 30,000 litres per hour of water flow of which about 75% will be recycled and reused, therefore there will be abundant water supply for milling operations from the well flow and the reservoir. Any net decline in the reservoir level at the end of the day will be replenished overnight.
Reservoir
Five support buildings including sleeping facilities, kitchen and cafeteria, bathrooms and showers, laundry and office were built and are 90% completed at year end.
One of five support buildings
A sixth building, a converted 40′ shipping container, is on site and being repurposed into a secure ‘gold room’, and will also house a shaking table Model 6S with capacity to process 30-60 tpd of gold concentrate from the Knelson Concentrator and the high frequency smelting furnace.
The entire milling plant installation will be powered by a 250 KW YTO Diesel Generator set.
CITAG was also awarded the contract to mine under Stellar’s supervision the 15,000 tons bulk sample. This gold-mineralized oxide material was extracted and is stockpiled at the mill site awaiting processing which is scheduled to start at the end of January and continue for approximately 4 months.