Eight Work Packages (WPs) have been designed to deliver the project. There is a general work flow between the Packages, especially WP’s 3, 4, 5 (Mineral Processing test work) and 6 (Environmental Performance) with WP1 (Management), WP7 (Dissemination) and WP8 (Ethics) delivering throughout the project (i.e. all 48 months).
To enable accurate assessment of the findings a thorough analysis of the state-of-the-art and new technologies was undertaken for the processing of tin and tungsten ores. Additionally, a review was made of the current status and manufacturing capacity for mobile mineral processing equipment. Each Work Package has a specific function and the progress to-date and any notable results are summarised below.
Work in WPs 3 and 4 has progessed to the stage of developing 'conceptual flow sheets' appropriate for mineral processing strategies to help develop European skarn, greisen and pegmatite ores to the point where they can be utilised.
As FAME has progressed the importance of Lithium as a strategic metal for batteries has grown immensely. FAME management team took an active view to promote Lithium mineral beneficiation within the FAME programme and develop plans for pilot scale production of Li-mica concentrates from the Gonçalo deposit (Portugal).
Conceptual flow sheets have been produced for the mineral processing of the Tellerhäuser (Sn) skarn ore in Saxony, Germany, culminating in proposals to build and operate an industrial scale pilot plant to treat ≈ 100t of ore and a second pilot plant established at LNEG, Portugal, treated >1t lepidolite (li-mica) pegmatite from Gonçalo.
