Graphene is the thinnest substance known to man, at a single carbon atom thickness, and is up to 20 times stronger than steel, and now testing of a deposit of its parent mineral, graphite, located south of Croydon, has delivered pleasing results for Metallica Minerals Limited.
Graphite was once known only as the “lead” in the pencil we wrote with, but is being talked up as critical to a variety of exciting applications, from the lithium ion batteries that power electric vehicles to solar panels, and as the next-generation chip technology to replace silicon.
Metallica Minerals CEO Simon Slesarewich said the test work had “clearly delivered on the company’s goal of demonstrating the ability to produce a high purity graphite concentrate from Esmeralda, that may be valuable in high-end applications”.
“With the knowledge that a high purity product can be produced, work will now focus on the large graphitic granite contained within the Esmeralda tenement package to identify areas of likely high concentrations of graphite that are near to surface,” he said.
These results follow on from what has been described as a “spectacular drill intercept” in late 2015 for the wholly-owned and unique hyrothermal-style project.
It returned thick graphite drill intersections from the deposit – a style unique because of its rarity and general high purity in either flake or crystalline form.
Results show that the product can potentially be even further improved by removing impurities via conventional processing methods, including additional purification stages.
It adds strong support to the company’s belief that the Esmeralda deposit is very large and would be a candidate for large-scale bulk mining.