Exploration-Operation and R&D
Lateritic nickel reserves, which were determined as a result of exploration activities in 3 licensed areas around the Karaçam village of Yunus Emre town of Mihallıçcık district, have been started to operate since 2008. Operation mainly continues still in Adatepe sector and partly in Belek sector. Explorations with drilling and reserve estimation studies have been carried out in Sarnıç and Ağılın Sivrisi sectors of mine area.
On the other hand, in the lateritic zones of Hamamtepe, Kızıltepe, Sivritepe and Çamlıderetepe sectors of licensed areas located to the west of Yunus Emre district, surface geology surveys were completed. Exploration by drilling have been started as of in April at 2019.
During the operations of mine sites, the grade of the ores are continuously measured and correspondingly selective mining is performed at the open pit faces. The lateritic materials defined as ore category are transported to crushing and sieving plant. After this procedure, the classified ores are sampled according to JIS Standards. The collected samples are prepared by crushing, drying and pulverizing basing on JIS Standards analyzed at laboratory created in the facilities of the Mining Site. The samples are analyzed by XRF devices which are calibrated according to the standards of the internationally important referee laboratories. The grades of each stock are labeled.
R & D studies were carried out with Ankara, Hacettepe, Konya Selcuk Universities, Ukraine Donetsk University and also some private companies about the determination of geochemical properties on our lateritic nickel ores, nickel and iron enrichment, and the recovery of ore by hydrometallurgical method.