Firering Strategic Minerals plc (LON:FRG), an emerging quicklime production and critical mineral exploration company, has announced the firing of its first gasifier and Kiln 1 at its Limeco quicklime project on 10 and 12 February 2025 respectively, marking the commencement of quicklime production at Limeco.
Yuval Cohen, Chief Executive of Firering Strategic Minerals, commented: “Last week’s achievements of firing the gasifier and Kiln 1, were significant milestones. The gasifier has been running successfully since 10 February and Kiln 1 will be refired later this week at which point the first quicklime will be produced and announced within days. This will be followed by an estimated 30-day optimisation period. This is a key step towards achieving full-scale operations across all eight kilns by the end of 2025. Once at steady-state production (100 tonnes of quicklime per kiln per day) Limeco will produce over 200,000 tonnes annually, establishing itself as one of Zambia’s largest quicklime producers and an important supplier to the growing copper industry in the Central African Copperbelt.”
Details
Following the successful commissioning of the gasifier and Kiln 1, phased production is now underway at the Limeco project, with a target of 600-800 tonnes of quicklime per day by the end of 2025. A key development in this process has been the conversion of the fuel source for the eight lime kilns from Heavy Fuel Oil to gasification. This successful change will improve operational efficiency and significantly reduce plant operating costs.
Having commenced mechanical commissioning of Kiln 1 in December 2024 and the first gasifier in January 2025, firing both the gasifier and Kiln 1 last week is a major achievement for Limeco. The gasifier has been successfully and consistently running since 10 February, enabling the Company to move forward to refiring the kiln following commissioning adjustments, with crushed limestone (-90mm to +60mm), at the end of this week. Over several days, the temperature inside the kiln will gradually rise to approximately 1,000°C. Once this temperature is reached, the limestone will undergo a thermal decomposition process, known as calcination, for 7 to 9 hours, producing high-quality calcium oxide (CaO), or quicklime. Following the delivery of this first quicklime production, we expect to have a period of approximately 30 days to optimise production quantity and quality.
The first kiln, like the remaining seven kilns, is expected to produce up to 100 tonnes of quicklime per day, operated continuously on a 24/7 basis, with only brief pauses for scheduled maintenance. This efficient process ensures a steady supply of quicklime, maximising energy usage while minimising waste.
Figure 1: Successful firing of the gasifier (10 February 2025).
Figure 2: Successful firing of burners of Kiln 1 (12 February 2025).
Figure 3: View of gasifier and gas ducting connecting gasifier to lime plant.
Figure 4: View of gasifier.
Figure 5: View of gasifier with lime plant in the background.
