The La Loutre Process Plant employs standard flotation technology to produce a graphite concentrate. The plant includes crushing, grinding, classification, flotation, tailings thickening and filtration, graphite concentrate filtration, drying and screening and separation into the product sizes. Graphite concentrate is loaded into 1 tonne bags for shipment and sale.
The plant is expected to treat 1.5 Mt of feed per year at an average throughput of 4,100 t/d. The mill design availability is 8,147 hours per year or 93%, with an operating throughput of 184 t/h.
The plant has been designed to realize an average recovery of 93.5% of the graphite at a concentrate grade of 95% Cg over the life of the project based on metallurgical test work completed by SGS Lakefield in 2021. Graphite product split is estimated to be 32% plus 80 mesh (177 microns) and 68% less than 80 mesh (177 microns).
Mill tailings storage capacity has been identified to safely accommodate the life of mine production as described in this PEA. Mill tailings produced will be comingled or co-disposed with 50% of the mine waste rock in the central and southern portion and the balance of the waste rock will be stored predominantly in the northern section until after Year 9 of the operation in a co-disposal facility constructed northwest of the process plant.
The Co-Disposal Storage Facility perimeter containment berms will be constructed with waste rock from open pit mine development and will utilize downstream construction method to ensure safe tailings storage over the long-term. Run-off water and seepage from the Co-Disposal Storage Facility will be collected in an adjacent Water Management Ponds. Tailings production after Year 9 will be placed in the mined out EVN pit.