African buzz
Fekola increases resource estimates Charging and recharging ahead
Gold mining company B2Gold has announced a substantial
increase in the mineral resource estimate for the Fekola Mine in
Mali. In a media statement, B2Gold says that the ongoing Fekola
mill expansion study has reaped positive results. The new increased
mineral resource and the positive results, to date, from the mill
expansion study indicate the potential to increase mill throughput
tonnage and increase annual gold production from Fekola, with
moderate capital expenditure. The New York Police Department in the US recently announced
that it was pulling more than 3 000 body cameras from use after
one burst into flames on a Staten Island officer. The suspect? The
camera’s lithium-ion battery.
Based on about 192 000m of exploration drilling in 928 drill holes
(including 70 877m in 294 holes drilled by B2Gold since June
2014), the company reported an updated indicated mineral resource
estimate of more than 92.8 million tonnes at 1.92 grams per tonne
(g/t) gold, for a total of more than 5.7 million ounces of gold, and an
inferred mineral resource estimate of 26.5 million tonnes at 1.61g/t
gold, for a total of about 1.3 million ounces of gold.
According to the statement, the new mineral resource is
contiguous to the north of the current Fekola reserve pit boundary
and extends the resource pit boundary 1.2km to the north.
Exploration drill results further north of the new resource pit
boundary demonstrate that gold mineralisation continues to
the north, and remains open, indicating the potential to further
expand mineral resources with additional drilling.
www.africanmining.co.za
They are ignored until they blow up a body-cam or hoverboard,
but without these tiny power packs, the world would be an
unrecognizable place. There would be no tablets, no smartphones.
No laptops or drones. Compact, powerful, and rechargeable,
they ushered in the era of portable devices and more economical
electric cars, and are found in virtually every electronic gadget,
from pacemakers to vape pens.
By 2030, demand is projected to rise to 17 times the current
demand. But to get there, lithium-ion batteries are in need of a
revolution. Each year, they become cheaper and more powerful, but
they still cannot compete with combustion engines and fossil fuels
on cost. There’s incentive to push their current capabilities too far,
and when that happens? Boom.
What we really need is a super battery. Dozens of scientists are
racing to make one, including John Goodenough, now 95, who
is credited as the Li-ion’s father. Can any of them deliver the
shock we need?
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2019 AFRICAN MINING
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