The Marropino mine is a large mine located in the northern part of

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Zambezia Province Zambezia ( pt, Zambézia) is the second most-populous province of Mozambique, located in the central coastal region south-west of Nampula Province and north-east of Sofala Province. It has a population of 5.11 million, according to the 2017 cen ...

. Marropino represents one of the largest

tantalum Tantalum is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73. Previously known as ''tantalium'', it is named after Tantalus, a villain in Greek mythology. Tantalum is a very hard, ductile, lustrous, blue-gray transition metal that is ...

reserves in

having estimated reserves of 21.7 million tonnes of ore grading 0.019%

Background

In 2008, the Marropino mine was considered the world's second-largest tantalum mining operation.Melissa Pistilli
Noventa: Marropino Tantalum Mine Producing Once Again
''Investingnews.com'', 28 April 2010 (accessed on 18 June 2019) Its operations were estimated to last at least 6 years.Minerals Yearbook, 2008, V. 3, Area Reports, International, Africa and the Middle East
''Government Printing Office'', 24 october 2010 (). pp.31.2 In May 2009, the mine operations were put on "care and maintenance" to weather the 2008 crisis.Tantalite from Marropino, Mozambique may be exported via Quelimane
''Macauhub.com.mo'', 6 September 2010 (accessed on 18 June 2019) The mine operator also reported processing difficulties, low recovery rates, high power and transportation costs.Minerals Yearbook Area Reports: International Review, 2009, Africa and the Middle East
''Government Printing Office'', 2011 (). pp.32.2 In 2010, Noventa (previously Highland African Mining Company - HAMCHighland African Mining Company closes mine in Marropino, Mozambique
''Macauhub.com.mo'', 2 August 2013 (accessed on 18 June 2019)), the concession-owner of the mine, was considering using the small port of

Quelimane Quelimane () is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais (or "River of the Good Signs"). The river was named when Va ...

as the mine's new hub for maritime exports. When it reopened in April 2010, the mine stopped the production of

Morganite Morganite is an orange or pink gemstone and is also a variety of beryl. Morganite can be mined in countries like Brazil, Afghanistan, Mozambique, Namibia, the United States, and Madagascar. Morganite has grown in popularity since 2010. ''Brides ...

. Patrick Lawless was named CEO of Noventa in June 2010. The same month, the company announced the launch of ''Project Ligonha'', a 3-month preliminary geological evaluation of the concessions' grounds. The project was managed conjointly with the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and the

Eduardo Mondlane University , image = , image_size = , former_names = , motto = , type = Public , established = 21 August 1962 , rector = Manuel Guilherme Júnior, PhD , students = 39,078 (2015) , undergrad = 35,809 , ...

. In August 2010, Noventa's first shipment (since reopening) of 8 tonnes of tantalum to an Asian client left the country from Quelimane. Early 2012,

Cyclone Funso Intense Tropical Cyclone Funso was a powerful tropical cyclone which produced flooding in Mozambique and Malawi in January 2012. It was the eighth tropical cyclone, the sixth named storm and the second tropical cyclone to form during the 2011–12 ...

caused some damage to the mine's buildings, along with minor floodings. The cyclone also brought a plague of non-endemic, poisonous

rove beetle The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra (wing covers) that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With roughly 63,000 species in thousands of genera, the ...

s that affected 30% of the mine's workforce. In August 2013, it was reported by the Mozambican newspaper ''Notícias'' that the Marropino mine had halted its operations. Noventa explained that the remaining veins of tantalum were too deep and with higher levels of metals, making the operations unprofitable. Despite its plan to use Quelimane as an export port, the company had to stick with the twice-farther port of

Walvis Bay Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The c ...

, the only one in the country certified to handle class 7 products.

Research

The research team at the Marropino mine had teamed up with a multidisciplinary team of the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

to optimize the recovery of tantalum from its ore, as 50% of the rare metal was usually not extracted and disposed of as mineral waste. The research concluded:Chanel de Bruyn
Noventa seeks to improve tantalum recovery at Moz mine
''Miningweekly.com'', 23 June 2010 (accessed on 18 June 2019) * Reduce ore to slightly finer fraction size to extract higher levels of tantalum-bering grains; * Remove mica crystals as early as possible; * Make simple technology adjustments; * Also apply process to waste dumps.

Production

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marropino Mine Tantalum mines in Mozambique

Background

Research

Production

See also

References