ZIJIN: Brine evaporation has begun at its lithium project in Argentina
Chinese mining group Zijin Mining reported today that on November 26, the construction of the small pre-concentration pond at the company’s 3Q lithium project in Argentina was completed.
In its press release, the company said that brine was injected into the pond, initiating brine evaporation one month earlier than scheduled.
The small pre-concentration pond covers an area of 740,000 square meters. Divided into two streams, the facility is made up of 8 evaporation ponds and 2 mixing ponds, with a total storage capacity of 1.45 million cubic meters. An initial 830,000 cubic meters of brine was injected into the pond.
Zijin said that to commence brine evaporation as soon as possible, the 3Q team communicated actively with its construction contractor, to implement scientific management and process optimization while making flexible work arrangements based on weather conditions.
Importantly, the 3Q project also employed a four-tier quality control mechanism that brings together the builder, supervisors, the owner and third parties, to ensure the speed and quality of project construction, it added.
On January 26, 2022, Zijin completed the acquisition of Canada’s Neo Lithium Corp, owner of the Tres Quebradas (3Q) lithium project, which is located in the mining friendly Catamarca Province, the largest and oldest lithium producing province in Argentina.
The company started construction of the mine in March 2022. The 3Q lithium brine project has an annual production capacity of 20,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate.
Zijin Mining is a large multinational mining group engaged in the global exploration and development of copper, gold, zinc and lithium, as well as engineering and technological research. Zijin has mining projects in 15 provincial-level regions in China and 13 other countries across the globe.
The company’s main overseas assets include the Čukaru Peki copper and gold mine and the Bor copper mine in Serbia, the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine and the Kolwezi copper mine in the DRC, as well as the Buriticá gold mine in Colombia.
