The Aukam Graphite Mine
95% property controlling interest
Fully licensed and cleared to produce 44,000 tonnes per year
The project hosts one of the highest grades globally
Graphite can be upgraded on site up to 98%
Namibia is a very attractive mining jurisdiction
15km combined strike length of visible graphite
Geology
Structural Controls
- Shear zone hosted
- Jogs
- Pinch and swell structures
Genesis
- Reactivation of shear zone 535 Ma
- Hydrothermal C-rich fluids at low temperature
- Emplaced in NMC – Granite Gneiss
- Overlayed by the Nama formation
Veins (Mineralization)
Strike
240° – 270° & 300° – 320°
Dip
80° – 88° S
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Mining License ML-215
ML-215
- Licence period: 2020 – 2040
- Licence area: 5,002 ha / 12,360 ac / 50 km²
- Processing plant included within the ML
- ML215 is surrounded by EPL8746
Exploration License EPL-8746
Minor work has been carried out on EPL8746. The main target area of investigation was the historic workings which had been abandoned due to market related reasons.
The following commodities occur in the area: tin, tungsten, lithium, beryl and fluorite.
Tin and tungsten is found in a greisen deposit within 3 km from the graphite deposit. Samples of the stockpiles have been taken for analysis, results pending.
Further workings up the valley have stockpiled lithium ore, which is hosted within pegmatites. Some of these pegmatites also contain beryl and fluorite.
Geology & Processed Grade
Flotation Concentrate
Test results, verified by ALS, SGS & Gecko Labs, have delivered an average grade of 98.37% Cg in multiple cleaner concentrates.
| Composite ID | Cleaner Concentrate (avg %Cg) |
|---|---|
| AUK-C 1 | 98.27% |
| AUK-C 2 | 98.71% |
| AUK-C 3 | 98.77% |
| AUK-C 4 | 98.29% |
| AUK-C 5 | 97.97% |
| AUK-C 6 | 98.61% |
Geology & Morphology
The Aukam deposit is considered to be of hydrothermal origin forming some 538 million years ago at relatively low temperature.
Production Readiness
Gratomic is now in the pre-production phase of its Aukam Mine:
Gratomic has stockpiled year one production and is expected to be at 12,000 tonnes of production capacity when up and running
300 tonnes of graphite have been processed during the commercial commissioning phase, resulting in approx. 80t at 94% Cg
With the installation of the stirred media and polishing mills, Gratomic will upgrade this material to +97% Cg
Once installed the Company will be able to roll out the rest of the production line
Gratomic is advancing towards a full roll out of production, with the timeline to be announced as progress continues.
Perfecting Engineering & Processing
The Aukam processing circuit is a result of 10 years of engineering, pilot testing and perfecting the processing of graphite ores.
Key Process Considerations:
- Cost effectiveness
- Operation efficiencies
- Energy conservation
- Water recycling
- Physical processing instead of chemical
- Minimum environmental impact
- Minimal operational staff required to run (fully mechanized)
The plant is compact and only requires 1.5 MW of power to run at full capacity. The plant was constructed to be fully built into capacity on the front and back end for optimal easy expansion in the mid-section as operations expand.
Aukam Mine Flake Size Distribution & Markets
| Description | Particle Size (μm) |
Test 1 % | Cumulative % | Test 2 % | Cumulative % | Test 3 % | Cumulative % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large-Medium | +212 | 22.4 | 22.4 | 21.8 | 21.8 | 23.2 | 23.2 |
| +150 | 16 | 38.4 | 14.6 | 36.4 | 11.8 | 35 | |
| Small | +105 | 9.9 | 48.3 | 8 | 44.4 | 10.4 | 45.4 |
| +75 | 12 | 60.3 | 13.6 | 58 | 12.7 | 58.1 | |
| Fine | +45 | 15.1 | 75.4 | 16 | 74 | 14.6 | 72.7 |
| -45 | 24.6 | 100 | 26 | 100 | 27.3 | 100 | |
| TOTAL | 100 | 100 | 100 | ||||
The Aukam deposit produces a diverse range of flake sizes suitable for multiple industrial applications, from large flake for refractories and expandable graphite to fine flake for batteries and lubricants.
Large Flake
Refractories, Expandable Graphite, Graphitic, Flame Retardants, Alkali Batteries, Stainless Steel, Graphene
Medium Flake
Refractories, Decarbonizing, Lubricants, Friction Materials
Small Flake
Batteries, Electrodes, Alkali Batteries, Household Lubricants, Industrial Lubricants, Nuclear
Fine Flake
Lubricants Drilling, Batteries, Concrete Adhesives, Composites, Polymers, Graphene
Environmental Impact
The Aukam Graphite Mine in Namibia will produce a near-negligible environmental impact.
Estimated Carbon Footprint
0.8 Kg per tonne of graphite produced
Recycling/Recovery
- • Approximated 95% water recyclability
- • Planned utilization of by-product material for use in additional product(s), (such as bricks)
- • Prospective strategic collection and use of rainwater run off
Air Quality
Estimated little to no impact on Air Quality for surrounding communities or workers due to contained processing methods
Land Reclamation
The Company follows a strict Reclaim as you go policy, ensuring that the area will be more usable after reclamation
