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[July 2009]
Pilot Plant Test Work Underway on South Australian Kaolin Deposits
Minotaur Exploration Ltd (Dulwich, SA, Australia) has announced that pilot plant test work has commenced on bulk samples from the company’s wholly-owned Poochera kaolin deposits within EL3366, on the west coast of South Australia.
Four tonnes of the 55 tonnes of bulk sample already collected are being used in the tests, with initial work designed to optimise plant efficiency. Once optimised, the plant will produce about 0.5 tonnes of hydrous kaolin which will then be subject to detailed testing and analysis. The major properties to be examined will be the product’s whiteness, reflectance, grain size and viscosity. Analytical information such as aluminium, iron and silica content will also be recorded.
In addition to the standard tests mentioned above, the hydrous product will be calcined (heated to approximately 950°C) to produce a high quality product to be tested for its suitability for premium quality paper coating. Previous tests completed by Commercial Minerals on Poochera kaolin successfully demonstrated that this should be the case and the company intends to produce sufficient calcined kaolin to enable thorough testing by paper manufacturers. The pilot plant is currently located at Kingaroy in Queensland and will be re-located to South Australia at an appropriate time.
www.minotaurexploration.com.au
ENDS