A new technical report on a graphite mine in Albany, Canada, suggests that the mine could produce graphite powder pure enough to be used in powder metallurgy (PM) products.
According to Zenyatta Ventures Ltd’s technical report, graphite concentrate could be purified to yield a final graphite product grading 99.94% Cg and 89.13% recovery, for an overall recovery of 75.40%.
Unlike metamorphic flake and amorphous deposits, tests have demonstrated that Zenyatta’s hydrothermal (vein) type graphite can be processed into a high-purity crystalline substance, suitable to compete against synthetic graphite producers for market share.
Graphite is used in powdered metals primarily as a strengthening agent, and as a lubricant, and an estimated 80% of products made by powder metallurgy are used in the automotive sector mainly as components for transmissions and engines. Other uses in this sector include industrial controls, motors,and hydraulics, while primary military applications for fine grained, high density graphite are re-entry vehicle nose tips, thrust tabs, heat shields, and nozzle throats of missiles.
The report concluded that the mining project should be advanced to the pre-feasibility stage and that additional metallurgical tests should be carried out to scale up the process for the production of a high-purity graphite product with specifications based on research and dialogue with end-users.
This story is reprinted from material from Zenyatta, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
