Dear Shareholders:
TVI’s Canatuan orebody has very difficult metallurgy with a major challenge being the equal recovery rates of both the copper and zinc minerals. Because of increased levels of zinc of the orebody, a copper/zinc separation circuit was initiated in early 2010, following an intensive laboratory test work program. If this problem were not dealt with, unsaleable concentrate would have resulted. Zinc mineral is normally reticent to be recovered by flotation, but in the case of Canatuan the mineral is pre-activated in the pit to be pre-disposed to float. This problem necessitated a radical change to the process methodology whereby a new chemical scheme was implemented in the Canatuan flotation process to stop the zinc from being recovered with the copper.
This process then permitted Canatuan to selectively recover separate copper and zinc concentrates.
This process was successfully implemented in 2011 in the Canatuan plant.
The process utilized is unique and was of interest to metallurgical peers around the world. TVI presented their work to the annual Canadian Mineral Processing conference in Ottawa in January this year.
This conference is recognized as one of the leading metallurgical events in the world.
Below is a link to the paper that was prepared by top metallurgists. We hope that this gives you an understanding of the complexity of the orebody and the lengthy and complicated measures that were undertaken to successfully realize maximum separation efficiency.
Click here to view the paper
Regards,
Rhonda
Rhonda Bennetto | Vice President Investor and Corporate Relations
Desk: 403.233.6506 mobile: 403.604.9443 skype: rbennetto
TVI Pacific Inc. Philippine Resource Company
2000, 736-6 Ave SW | Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 3T7
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