MINERAL PROCESSING: Manganese recovery reaches 96% from Buchans’ Plymouth deposit

NEW BRUNSWICK - Buchans Minerals of Windsor, NS, says that using a reducing acid leach can recover 96% of the manganese in samples from its Plymouth manganese property near Woodstock. The bench-scale tests were carried out by Thibault & Associates on a composite sample from five holes drilled at the property. The recovery of manganese when using a sulphuric acid leach was only 89%.

Buchans said a bench scale program is also testing a method of purifying the manganese sulphate in leach solutions. A two-stage leach to remove most of the iron and other heavy metal impurities is promising. Further testing will examine the suitability of a solvent extraction process to produce a high purity manganese solution.

The Plymouth deposit has been tested since the 1950s. Further information is available in the fact sheet posted at www.BuchansMinerals.com.