RWANDA / TANTALUM & NIOBIUM MINE / 2004

DOVE Equipment & Machinery Co., Ltd. supplied the first mechanized Processing Plant to Kigali/Rwanda for recovery of Tantalum & Niobium. In 2004 Rwanda was under embargo by United Nation, for export of Tantalite. The Embargo was based on the belief that Rwanda has No deposit and production of Tantalite and Columbite and the production exported from Rwanda is mainly from Congo DRC, and therefore considered as Blood-Tantalite. DOVE conducted research and discovered a large deposit of Tantalum located near Kigaly and introduced the first mechanized pilot plant to Rwanda and after supplied the Mechanized processing plant to mine the deposit. DOVE Invited the US Ambassador (Ms. Margaret K. McMillion) and various other officials of the Rwanda government for the grand opening of this project, and with the first production received, and the support of Ambassador McMillion, and the US government the embargo was finally lifted. Photos of Ambassador McMillion at grand opening of the mine, starting the processing plant is included.

The plant configuration was customized and designed based on the ore condition and specification of the designated area, which mainly consisted of concentrates in placer forms of upper layer of the deposit, composed of mixture of medium to heavy clay distributed in layers/pockets, and with light to medium clay on upper levels and heavier clay concentration on lower levels, prior to bedrock. The plant is designed for hydraulic-based mining, open cast exploitation of alluvial ore deposit with ore throughput capacity of 100 Tons/Hour of Solids, configured with direct feeding method by heavy earth moving equipment as well as utilizing monitors and educing method to feed the recovery plant. The proposed system is configured for maximum efficiency and production in view of minimum expenditure and includes equipment as follows: Earthmoving equipment placed 1500 meters high on the Top of the deposit to extract the Ore and supply to the Educing station and with the force of Hydraulic Cannon Monitors the Ore was directed to the Heavy dusty Gravel Pump to extract the Ore and pump to the Trommel Classifier (Cone Type), Jig Concentrators, and VBS^® Concentrators for recovery of concentrates, and final cleanup and recovery through concentrating table and Magnetic separator.