Australia’s MRL Corp to mine graphite from Aluketiya project in September
Thursday, 29 January 2015 01:41
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MRL Corporation, an Australian mining company exploring graphite in Sri Lanka, said it is on track to start production from its Aluketiya graphite project in Sri Lanka in the September quarter 2015 after drilling returned assays of up to 99.3% total graphitic carbon (TGC).
Six holes were drilled at the project with the majority returning assays above 90% TGC. A three-hole diamond drilling program will commence within days with the aim of establishing the presence of further graphite mineralisation and sterilising other areas.
Testing conducted at the Wuhan University of Technology found graphite from MRL’s Aluketiya project in Sri Lanka contained 99.98% Total Graphitic Carbon (TGC).
The company said the metallurgical test work has shown that Aluketiya graphite exceeds the grades required for use in lithium batteries.
Rehabilitation and construction work on two historic shafts at Aluketiya is set to start in March and will take about two months to complete, the company said.
Aluketiya, located in Meegahatenna within the Walallawita District, is one of five key project areas that comprise MRL’s 6,300 hectare portfolio.
The project is considered one of the richest graphite-bearing areas in the country and has potential for graphite veins extending over large distances.
Aluketiya produced high-grade graphite for several decades until the operation was stopped in the 1960s.
Sri Lanka is the only region in the world which produces commercial quantities of vein graphite with greater than 90% total graphitic carbon (TGC).
