Centaurus Metals Limited (ASX: CTM) has said that in response to growing interest from potential off-take partners and customers, it has commenced a new study on the potential of its 100%-owned Jambreiro Iron Ore Project in Brazil, to deliver a direct reduction (DR) quality pellet feed concentrate.
Jambreiro is an advanced iron ore project located in south-eastern Brazil near the regional centre of Belo Horizonte. It formed part of Centaurus’ foundational portfolio of strategic minerals projects in Brazil and comprises a substantial mineral resource for which Centaurus continues to evaluate potential development and monetisation pathways. The strong push by steelmakers to lower greenhouse emissions has resulted in iron ore producers being encouraged to maximize grade and minimize impurities.
Due to this, Centaurus is now investigating the possibility of producing a DR quality pellet feed product from the Jambreiro ore, targeting a +68% Fe product with combined grades of silica (SiO2) and alumina (Al2O3) being under 2%. DR pellet feed product is used to produce DR pellets, which in turn are then used as feed for electric arc furnaces. DR pellet feed material has a lower overall carbon footprint compared to ore that can only be fed into blast furnace steel mills.
With steel producers increasingly focusing on strategies to reduce their carbon footprint, the production of DR quality iron ore greatly assists in achieving this objective. Sighter tests undertaken by a potential off-taker have shown that ore from the Jambreiro deposit is able to produce a DR quality pellet feed material, with the specifications outlined below using both magnetic separation and flotation beneficiation processes. The Jambreiro ore tested is a composite from a friable itabirite outcrop, located in the central portion of the project area. The composite had a head grade of 38-39% Fe.
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