Tech gives old mine new life
ONE of Queensland’s oldest mines has restarted production using improved technology.
Resources Minister Scott Stewart, who visited Mount Carbine mine about 130km north of Cairns, says what is occurring at the operation, a joint venture between ASXlisted EQ Resources and German metals trading group Cronimet, is an example of the opportunities being opened up in Queensland.
“Changing technology and demand means some of our old mines could be given new life, creating jobs, which is what’s happening at Mount Carbine,” Mr Stewart said.
“With Cronimet, a global metals specialist, EQ Resources has refurbished, commissioned and expanded the Mount Carbine processing plant to extract tungsten from the mine’s waste dump which has effectively become a lowgrade tungsten stockpile.
“The mine is now providing more than 60 good, secure jobs for locals, and with the joint venture’s plans to restart hard rock mining, the project could create more than 100 jobs.”
The Mount Carbine deposit was found in 1883 and yielded its first tungsten in 1895.
It operated sporadically for 90 years before the mine closed in 1986.
Now modern technology is being used to produce tungsten concentrate from old stockpiles.
New crushing and screening equipment has been installed and a new hi-tech ore sorting technology called X-Ray Transmission is being used.
Waste rock is also being used in road making, coastal installations and other construction projects.
EQ Resources CEO Kevin MacNeill said the company was taking a phased approach to the mine’s development by commencing production with stockpile material before restarting an open pit mine and developing an underground mine.
Tungsten is one of the hardest elements on Earth and is commonly used in steel alloys for tool making as well as for solar technology, wind turbine blades and filaments for lighting.
It is listed as a critical mineral in the United States, Japan, India and Australia and has been recognised as having the highest economic importance of all raw materials by the European Commission.
Earlier this year EQ Resources was awarded a $6m grant from the Federal Government as part of its Critical Minerals Accelerator Initiative.