Jacare

Overview

Jacare nickel lateritic project is located in the Brazilian state of Para.

The mineral deposit was first identified in the 1970s. It was acquired by Anglo American Brazil back in 2000. To date exploration identified over 1.3 million tonnes of contained nickel metal in mineral resources that cover vast areas of the jungle.

In 2011, a pilot plant processed Jacare ore through a hydrometallurgical process and proved the viability of the method.

A feasibility study is to be completed in 2014 to 2015 interval.

The neighboring Jacaré and Morro Sem Boné, have the potential to increase the company's nickel production by more than 66,000 tpa.

Location

The Jacare project is located near Sao Felix do Xingu in the Brazilian state of Para. Para is located in northern Brazil and it borders the Atlantic Ocean to the northeast.

The state's economy is based on services, agriculture and iron ore and bauxite mining. The Amazon forest occupies an important part of the state.

The climate is equatorial.

Geology & Mineralization

The Jacare nickel laterites are located in the western part of the Carajas region. It was discovered in the 1970s but it was subsequently allowed to lapse.

Nickeliferous laterites are present over the northern part of the Jacare ridge that is 18 kilometers long and 2.5 kilometers wide. The mineral deposit formed as a result of a prolonged deep weathering of mafic-ultramafic intrusive rocks that form the bedrock.

There are three types of nickeliferous rocks: a siliceous laterite, a ferruginous laterite and a saprolite. 

 As of December 2011, Jacare’s measured and indicated mineral resources were calculated at 60.1 Mt at 1.21% nickel containing 726,000 tonnes for the Ferruginous Laterite; and, 39.6 Mt at 1.49% nickel for 589,000 tonne nickel metal for the Saprolite.

Mining & Operation

 Mining is to be carrried out by employing open pit mining methods.

Processing

A pilot plant was commissioned in January 2011, and two leach pilot campaigns were run using ore from the nickel laterite deposit at Jacare. The leach process worked better than anticipated. Its financial viability and scale up options are going to be assessed din 2012.

The ARNi hydrometallurgical process was developed by Anglo American.  Limonite from the ferruginous laterite is leached at atmospheric pressure to dissolve nickel, cobalt and iron. The second type of ore, the saprolite, is then used as neutralizing agent with the added benefit that the same metals are also being leached from saprolite. The process is unique in the fact that it is also regenerating the the major reagents required in the process such as hydrochloric acid, magnesia and sulphur dioxide. 

A feasibility study is to be completed in 2014/2015 interval. The project is most likely to be developed in two phases. Phase 1 would see 34-35,000 t/y production with Phase 2 potentially delivering a further 50,000 t/y with cobalt by-products for a total of  85,000 t/y.

The project is located about 150 km from the Onca Puma ferronickel mine belonging to Vale and Jacare could connect to that energy supply line.

Nickel would probably be shipped out by using Vale’s Carajas railroad to a port on the coast of the Maranhao state.

Environment & Community

N.A.