Mine Details

Wonarah

http://www.minemakers.com.au

phosphate,

Phone: 

Address: Level 2, 34 Colin Street, West Perth, WA, 6005 

State:  Level 2, 34 Colin Street, West Perth, WA, 6005

Email: 

http://www.minemakers.com.au

 

The Wonarah project, located 200 kilometres east of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, hosts the largest undeveloped phosphate deposit in Australia (JORC -compliant resource of 72 million tonnes grading at 23 percent phosphate at a cut off of 15 percent phosphate). It has the potential to become Australia's largest fertiliser producer.

The Wonarah Phosphate Deposit is the Largest Held by any Listed Company

The Wonarah phosphate project is wholly owned by Minemakers Limited, a company based in Western Australia that is listed on the Australian and Toronto Stock Exchanges. Minemakers Limited is planning on the Wonarah phosphate deposit making it a significant force in the world phosphate and fertiliser industries. The Wonarah phosphate deposit being the biggest conventional sedimentary deposit held by any listed company.

Benefits Supporting the Development of the Wonarah Phosphate Project

Besides the Wonarah deposit having a large commercial potential, it also has the following benefits:

> A nearby resource of petroleum coke and an on-site resource of silica readily available

> A plentiful supply of groundwater

> An accessible natural gas supplyNear a standard guage railway that has spare freight capacity Sealed bitumen highway access

> Bulk commodity port available at Darwin
> Residential population at Tennant Creek

> An agreement with the Traditional Owners of the land to allow mining, processing and fertiliser production for the life of the mine

> The Northern Territory Government declared the Wonarah development as a Major Project

Wonarah Project to Produce Either Fertiliser or Phosphoric Acid

Minemakers Limited plans to produce either phosphoric acid, or fertiliser, at the Wonarah project site that could have the potential of creating up to 500 jobs for the region. As the port of Darwin is 1,200 kilometres from the Wonarah project site, Minemakers Limited, is also focusing on developing downstream production of high value fertilisers, rather than developing the project as a quarry.

Wonarah Project to use Improved Hard Process Technology

Wonarah phosphate development will incorporate Improved Hard Process (IHP) kiln based technology that is owned by JDCPhosphate Incorporation of the United States. Grinding of the hard rock bearing phosphate will be carried out using a grinding process with silica and raw petroleum. The product will be pelletised before being subjected to roasting in a ported rotary kiln that will deliver a phosphorus rich gas which when it is put through a hydration process will produce superphosphonic acid, a very high nutrient product. Minemakers Limited has a 3.3 percent stake in JDCPHOSPHATE and has exclusive rights to use the technology in Australia. The process produces inert pellets as a co-product that will be returned to the mined out pits as backfill.

The development of the Wonarah phosphate project is important in the global aspect as there is a fast growing shortage of the product worldwide. The processing of rock phosphate has changed over past years with some of the biggest producers now being found in China and the United States, however, these countries are more focused on meeting their domestic† demands rather that supplying phosphate to the world market.


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