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Africa Moyo Deputy News Editor
THE game-changing platinum smelting plant officially commissioned by President Mnangagwa at Unki Mines yesterday is a custom-designed and cost-efficient smelter. It has a furnace rating of 8MW and its current operating power is 5MW.
The smelter is set to boost national revenues. Unki general manager Mr Walter Nemasase told The Herald last night that the smelter has an annual smelting capacity of 61 000 tonnes.
The smelter is designed to match Unki’s current production levels but can be upgraded to meet future increased mine production. Unki becomes the first platinum miner to heed Government’s call to add value to local minerals.
The company’s board chairman, Mr James Maposa, said in July 2015, they announced that Unki would be constructing a purpose-built smelter in line with their commitment to local beneficiation of minerals. The move was also in support of the Government’s plan of greater beneficiation of industrial and precious metals.
“Construction work got going in earnest in February 2017 on completion of the detailed feasibility study and securing of all relevant approvals.
“The furnace heat-up started in early August 2018 and the smelter has been ramping up with the first production of matte at the end September and the first export of crushed matte in mid-November (last year),” said Mr Maposa.
The matte is transported to the Anglo American Platinum converter process facility in Rustenburg, South Africa, for further processing.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando yesterday said Zimplats and Mimosa should start working towards constructing their own smelters as Government is not going back on its call for local beneficiation.
Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore in order to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy and is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper and other base metals.
Smelting uses heat and a chemical reducing agent to decompose the ore, driving off other elements as gases or slag and leaving the metal base behind.
The reducing agent is commonly a source of carbon, such as coke.
Online Reporter