Image passes milestone with first Atlas mineral | Australian Markets

Image Resources has shipped its first heavy mineral focus (HMC) from its new Atlas project within the Dandaragan shire, 170 kilometres north of Perth, beneath an current off-take settlement used for the company’s earlier Boonanarring project.

Image shipped a nominal 10,000 tonnes of moist HMC from the port of Geraldton final week, simply two months after it commissioned its Atlas plant.

The focus was bought beneath a persevering with life-of-mine offtake settlement with Image’s long-standing offtake accomplice Shantou Natfort Zirconium and Titanium Co.

The company used the identical off-take association for HMC gross sales from its earlier Boonanarring operation. As is customary with its previous shipments, Image’s latest sale was secured by a letter of credit issued earlier than vessel loading.

Image says about 25 per cent of the market worth of the cargo was utilized as a principal compensation beneath a US$10 million HMC off-take prepayment facility executed with Natfort in October final 12 months.

“The first sale of product from any new development project is always a milestone worthy of recognition. For the Atlas project, completing a first shipment just two months after commencement of commissioning is truly a notable accomplishment, particularly as this shipment marks Image’s return to revenue after a 16-month hiatus.” Image Resources managing director and chief government officer Patrick Mutz

Mutz stated the company would now concentrate on ramping up manufacturing to nameplate capability to ship on its market steering for 2025.

Image’s market steering this 12 months is for manufacturing of 175,000 to 195,000 dry metric tonnes HMC, gross sales of 165,000 to 185,000 dry metric tonnes, a value of $340-$400 per tonne of HMC produced, and a $410-$470 all-in sustaining value per tonne of HMC.

The all-in sustaining value measures the overall value of producing and delivery a tonne of HMC, together with all sustaining prices, mining and processing prices.

The Atlas moist focus plant is the first to include Mineral Technologies’ revolutionary CT1 spirals in its processing line.

Image says from a metallurgical level of view, the outcomes of utilizing the technology within the plant commissioning section had been in line with the project’s pilot take a look at outcomes.

The spirals achieved high heavy mineral restoration and produced high-quality HMC, which helped Image shortly construct up its HMC stock, resulting in an early first cargo.

The company is now carefully evaluating the CT1 technology over prolonged time intervals.

It says the spirals’ efficiency seems to be delicate to tiny fibrous root matter within the Atlas feed.

Mineral Technology’s engineering group is investigating the difficulty to quantify the consequences of particles build-up on heavy mineral restoration.

Image hopes the research will establish options to cut back or remove the issue on restoration and/or working efficiencies.

Image completed building the Atlas project in January and commenced commissioning and achieved first HMC manufacturing in February. The company plans to ramp-up manufacturing and income from Atlas within the present quarter.

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