Cover image of: Terzen Atmaca; Muff Rolf - Economic Viability Analysis prior to Exploration of Deposits of Exportable Mineral Raw Materials in Developing Countries in Africa

Terzen Atmaca; Muff Rolf:

Economic Viability Analysis prior to Exploration of Deposits of Exportable Mineral Raw Materials in Developing Countries in Africa

1998. 163 pages, 5 figures, 30 tables, 17x24cm, 350 g
Language: English

(Geologisches Jahrbuch Reihe H, Band H 3)

ISBN 978-3-510-95835-1, paperback, price: 24.00 €

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Keywords

geology • deposit • mineral raw material • Africa

Contents

Synopsis top ↑

The study provides a survey of exportable mineral resources in Africa from the point of view of whether exploration is warranted. The study not only provides a detailed documentation of that question, but also divides Africa into regions with potential, marginal potentional, or no potential, in particular with regard to the cost of transportation of mineral commodities from the deposit to the consumer.

Mineral deposits and mines often occur at considerable distance from the consumer in the industrial countries. This is why transportation costs often are a large fraction of the total costs and the crude ore value. Transportation costs therefore have considerable impact on the value of the ore concentrate. Since only a few African countries possess smelters, this report primarily focusses on transport to smelters outside Africa.

This study considers the following mineral commodities: antimony, barytes, bauxite, chromium, copper, corundum, fluorspar, gold, graphite, iron, kyanite, lead/zinc, magnesite, manganese, muscovite, nickel, niobium, phosphate, rare earths, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, uranium, vanadium, and vermiculite.

The study demostrates that, on the basis of prices, costs, and grades of the crude ores, exploration for many of the raw materials listed above is considered warranted. For others, this situation will change as conditions become considerably more favourable (higher commodity prices, higher ore grade, improved infrastructures etc).

Inhaltsbeschreibung top ↑

Die vorliegende Studie vermittelt einen Überblick über die Explorationswürdigkeit ausgewählter exportierbarer mineralischer Rohstoffe. Sie unterteilt Afrika in Regionen mit vorhandenem mineralischen Rohstoffpotential, marginalem Rohstoffpotential, und Regionen ohne Potential an mineralischen Rohstoffe unter Berücksichtigung der Transportkosten von den Lagerstätten zum Verbraucher.

Lagerstätten und Bergwerke sind oft weit entfernt vom Verbrauchermarkt der Industrieländer. Aus diesem Grunde können die Transportkosten einen hohen Anteil an den Gesamtkosten bzw. dem Rohstoffwert ausmachen. Sie beeinflussen den Erz- bzw. Konzentratwert erheblich. Da nur in einigen Ländern Afrikas rohstoffverarbeitende Betriebe bestehen, wurde der Transport zu Hütten außerhalb Afrikas in Betracht gezogen.

In dieser Studie werden die folgenden mineralischen Rohstoffe behandelt: Antimon, Bauxit, Blei/Zink, Chrom, Eisen, Flußspat, Gold, Graphit, Korund, Kupfer, Kyanit, Magnesit, Mangan, Muskovit, Nickel, Niob, Phosphat, Schwerspat, Seltene Erden, Tantal, Titan, Uran, Vanadium, Vermiculit, Wolfram und Zinn.

Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daß viele der o. g. Rohstoffe aufgrund ihrer Preise, Kosten und Erzgehalte Explorationsarbeiten rechtfertigen. Für die übrigen Rohstoffe wird sich die Situation ändern, wenn günstigere Bedingungen (z. B. höhere Rohstoffpreise, höhere Wertstoffgehalte, günstigere Infrastrukturverhältnisse) vorliegen.

Contents top ↑

1 Introduction 8
2 Objectives and Realization of the Study 17

3 Classification of the Mineral Raw Materials According to Deposit Type 20
4 Structural Geological Overview of Africa 20
5 Mineral Raw Materials 25
5.1 Antimony 25
5.1.1 Deposits 25
5.1.2 Mining and beneficiation 26
5.1.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 27
5.2 Barytes 29
5.2.1 Deposits 30
5.2.2 Mining and beneficiation 31
5.2.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 32 I
5.3 Bauxite 33
5.3.1 Deposits 34
5.3.2 Mining and beneficiation 34
5.3.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 35
5.4 Chromium 38
5.4.1 Deposits 38
5.4.2 Mining and beneficiation 41
5.4.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 41
5.5 Copper 43
5.5.1 Deposits 44
5.5.2 Mining and beneficiation 47
5.5.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 49
5.6 Corundum 52
5.6.1 Deposits 53
5.7 Fluorspar 55
5.7.1 Deposits 55
5.7.2 Mining and beneficiation 57
5.7.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 58
5.8 Gold 60
5.8.1 Deposits 60
5.9 Graphite 68
5.9.1 Deposits 68
5.9.2 Mining and beneficiation 69
5.9.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 70
5.10 Iron 72
5.10.1 Deposits 72

5.10.2 Mining and beneficiation 75
5.10.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 76
5.11 Kyanite 79
5.11.1 Deposits 79
5.11.2 Mining and beneficiation 81
5.11.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 81
5.12 Lead/zinc 83

5.12.1 Deposits 83
5.12.2 Mining and beneficiation 85
5.12.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 88

5.13 Magnesite 91
5.13.1 Deposits 91
5.13.2 Mining and beneficiation 92
5.13.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 93
5.14 Manganese 95
5.14.1 Deposits 96
5.14.2 Mining and beneficiation 97
5.14.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 98
5.15 Muscovite 100
5.15.1 Deposits 101
5.15.2 Mining and beneficiation 101
5.15.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 102
5.16 Nickel 103
5.16.1 Deposits 103
5.16.2 Mining and beneficiation 105
5.16.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 106
5.17 Niobium 109
5.17.1 Deposits 110
5.17.2 Mining and beneficiation 111
5.17.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 112
5.18 Phosphate 113
5.18.1 Deposits 114
5.18.2 Mining and beneficiation 115
5.18.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 116
5.19 Rare earths (RE) 118
5.19.1 Deposits 119
5.19.2 Mining and beneficiation 121
5.19.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 123
5.20 Tantalum 125
5.20.1 Deposits 125
5.20.2 Mining and beneficiation 127
5.20.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 128
5.21 Tin 130
5.21.1 Deposits 130
5.21.2 Mining and beneficiation 132
5.21.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 134
5.22 Titanium 136
5.22.1 Deposits 136
5.22.2 Mining and beneficiation 137
5.22.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 139
5.23 Tungsten 140
5.23.1 Deposits 141
5.23.2 Mining and beneficiation 141
5.23.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 143
5.24 Uranium 144
5.24.1 Deposits 145
5.24.2 Mining and beneficiation 148
5.24.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 150
5.25 Vanadium 152
5.25.1 Deposits 152
5.25.2 Mining and beneficiation 153
5.25.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 154
5.26 Vermiculite 154
5.26.1 Deposits 155
5.26.2 Mining and beneficiation 155
5.26.3 Ore evaluation and production costs 156
6 Summary 158