Cardero Resource Corporation has provided an update on the Pampa El Toro iron sands project, located in the Marcona district in Peru.
The Company has now completed its Phase I briquetting work and is currently undertaking the Phase II bench-scale pig iron production program.
A portion of the Pampa El Toro concentrate was agglomerated, processed into liquid hot metal and cast into pigs in a total of ten bench-scale electric arc-based melting furnace tests. A total of 128 kilograms of pig iron was produced. The test work is being conducted in cooperation with the US Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Lab located in Albany, Oregon.
The pig iron product is currently undergoing chemical analysis. Additional bench-scale smelting tests may be conducted following receipt of results. Knowledge gained from the bench scale tests will be incorporated in the large scale smelting test.
The Phase III pilot-scale melting test will be designed to run with the optimum briquette formulation along with operating control parameters gleaned from the bench-scale smelting test. The goal for the pilot scale melting test is to demonstrate consistent melters operation, uniform hot metal quality and slag quality over an extended period of operation time.
The pilot-scale melting test program is undergoing a permitting process that is targeted to be completed by the end of Q2 2009, with the actual pilot plant operation and final report to follow.
Mr Glen Hoffman MMSA QP president & CEO of Cardero Iron Ore Company Limited and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release. Mr Hoffman is not independent of the Company as he is an officer of a subsidiary and holds common shares and incentive stock options in Cardero.
The metallurgical test work is designed and directly observed on site by Dr S Jayson Ripke vice President of Cardero Iron Ore Management Inc. Dr Ripke is responsible for all on site aspects of metallurgical testing and the quality control/quality assurance. The test work is being conducted in cooperation with the US Department of Energy National Energy Technology Lab located in Albany, Oregon.
(Sourced from Ca news.com)
