Ferro-Alloy Resources has identified a carbon-rich by-product at Balasausqandiq that could add a material revenue stream to the project. More than 8% of the ore is made up of this material, which the company says can be used as a substitute for carbon black.
The process is linked to the main Balasausqandiq flowsheet. After vanadium and other metals are recovered, the carbon-rich material can be upgraded through flotation into a concentrate containing around 40% carbon. The company may be able to generate value from material that would otherwise sit outside the primary metal recovery focus.
An independent marketing study indicates that Ferro-Alloy Resources’ carbon black substitute could attract a price of $500 to $600 per tonne. The feasibility study projects annual production of around 247,000 tonnes. On those assumptions, the company says the product could generate more than $110 million a year in additional revenue.
The company sees potential use for the material across black rubber products, including tyres, conveyor belts, tubing and matting. It has also reported successful test work for substitution in vehicle tyres. That is relevant because tyre applications are a significant and technically demanding market for carbon black-type materials. Further customer validation will remain important, but the test work gives the company a clearer commercial route to pursue.
Ferro-Alloy Resources Ltd (LON:FAR) is developing the giant Balasausqandiq vanadium deposit in Kyzylordinskaya oblast of southern Kazakhstan. The ore at this deposit is unlike that of nearly all other primary vanadium deposits and is capable of being treated by a much lower cost process.
